Monday, April 27, 2015

April 27th, 2015: The Holy Ghost

I love the feeling of the Holy Ghost, I rely on him in every moment in my life, were to go, what to say and obviously what to do in moments of stress and questions! I also love the feeling of the spirit and giving this mighty gift to everyone that is worthy to receive it! This week four people received the Holy Ghost and I was blessed and humbly gave this mighty friend to one soul who needs this companion! Also I felt super blessed to testify that my Savior lives and that Jesus is the Christ.  We had a bunch of moments in where I felt the Holy Ghost testifying through me as if I was an instrument.... I love this feeling and I love what President Monson always says, we need to defend the truth in every moment! What blessings we have! Its time to defend brothers and sisters!

So truly I was blessed this week to talk and to learn from one of my hero’s! We had interviews with president and I love hearing him pray with such emotion and love for this work and me.  I made goals to pray like that in every prayer! One of the comments I loved is he said that the Lord is pleased with what I was doing and he loves me. In that moment I really felt the love of the Lord, in a phrase so simple, but yet so powerful! What blessing we have to be apart of his church and do things that could make Him become happy! All I want to do in this life is make Him happy, I work for the glory of God and feeling that he is happy makes my soul shine and I really feel like beams are coming out of me! I also like to smile at everyone, I bet they think its crazy to see a white nerdy missionary smiling and waving but hey, I’m on the Lords errand and I cant do the lords work with a frown right! So smile it up! haha

I think I will be staying here another change based on the fact that my companion has been here for four months and a half but that is fine with me. I love this work and I have been fighting against time to try and make the most of every single day! Everyday I almost have a panic attack after lunch because it’s already two thirty and that means we only have seven hours left to visit and teach! Seven hours is way to short to do the work of the Lord, I feel like Peter and all the apostles who willingly served for years, two years is not long enough!

A miracle that happened this week was during a lunch a member brought her friend who was from a different faith.  During the lunch of course the topic turned to God and I felt that she was attacking the Lord, she was claiming that she did not believe because she did not see, and that there might not even be a God.  After hearing her speak and talk such harsh things I could not take it anymore. I felt the words flowing from my mouth as I testified of the truth, that my Savior lives that God does exist and he has a body of flesh and bones! And I know it! After it was silent and she asked if we could go by and visit her.  We agreed and we will see what happens, no one can try and tell me that God does not exist! He lives and I’m sure of it

Count our blessings where we live! With whom we live and our purpose for this life, its beautiful so why not smile?


I love you all so much! Elder Passey




Monday, April 20, 2015

April 20th, 2015: The Greatest Week Of My Life!!!!

This has been the greatest week of my life! I can’t believe everything that has gone down and that we have seen so many miracles! Again I’m writing this just after sitting in the police department with my companion trying to become legal citizens! It worked! Hahahahaha Chile here I am to stay! But the most important part of my life and this week was I just witnessed with my own eyes three young daughters of God and one family come unto Christ! I have never baptized three people at one time so I felt super blessed to see all of them with their smiles, I love feeling the peace of saying those powerful words to baptize someone and feel that the power of God really is on the earth again! Wow how blessed are we! I also thank my Lord and Savior everyday for the chances I get to be a instrument for the work. I love testifying of the reason I’m here, to save families, to pray, fast and help these family’s not only become baptized but to sense the hunger to be sealed in the temple.  Its been about a year since I have seen or entered a temple and the fact is that sometimes we as human beings take things for granted when they are in our reach, but when the precious gift we had leaves us then we become even more human, we miss the thing we once took for granted. That’s why I love being a part of this work to teach the people about temples and baptism, I can see the soul yearning for help and the veil becomes thin as they see the truth! 

Karla and Catalina are great young women, we had a meeting with the bishop and we decided that Karla had to go to relief society.  It will be a little bit harder for her but I think that she can do it! A young girl who is 15 needs to be in young women’s but I know she can learn in the "more experienced" class hahaha.  But the baptism was so great! I was so proud that she could overcome everything to follow Christ! She had her interview and had to go to another store to apologize! She at first did not want to go because it made her so sad and shameful but she went and was able to be baptized! I have never seen a person go through what she has gone through.  At first we doubted if she would make it, I feel so sad that I doubted! How could I? The whole world has been against her how could I do that? I felt super humble and humbled myself in front of the Lord to never judge again, I know that I can grow even more! She was baptized by our mission leader and it was awesome to see them together and see the baptism. I then baptized Catalina and Elder Lima baptized Maria Belen! A white and sunny day at church, ahha I love life.

I have come to the conclusion that Catalina is the best young little girl that I know, besides Rachel Passey of course! She was so nervous for her interview that she read all the pamphlets again and then was praying.  The Elder who had the interview was my good friend from Heber Elder Lunksgog! It was so awesome to see him and talk to him, sadly I think I spelled his name wrong, if so I really am Chilean.  I love how we had this bond and Catalina was super awesome and passed flawlessly!

Maria Balen is a little ball of joy who really talks to our heavenly father when she prays! She prays for all the stray dogs and cats in the world and then prays for her family! She also passed easily and it felt great to receive the joy from her!

Funny story, I almost was baptized last Sunday as well! Karla was baptized first and then it was Catalina’s and my time to shine! As I was entering the font elder Lima said "careful its wet" I thought to myself, of course the water is wet! Duh why are you even saying such a thing and then I slipped and fell halfway into the font hahahahahahahahahahahaha WHAT HAVE I BECOME! I PROMISED MYSELF TO NEVER BECOME A GOOFY MISSIONARY BUT HERE I AM! hahaha it was super funny, I’m sore but I’m okay! I will make it hahaha. 

The good news is that Catalina’s dad and older brother have accepted the invitation to be baptized! The 3 of May! I’m so pumped and we will see what happens with these two fellas! They are awesome


I want you all to know how much I love my lord and savior Jesus Christ! I can feel him helping me, guiding me and telling me what I must do to be better! I want to be better every day and I can only do that with his help, it pains me to think of the people who live without this light! Love you all! 


Karla, Catalina and Maria Belen



My Sector, This is where I am living.  Beautiful red rocks and ocean!

Monday, April 13, 2015

April 13th, 2015: It's been an interesting week

Well this week was quite a bit interesting, we had a bunch of success but we did not baptize last Sunday, it was a major bummer but let me tell you why we are super happy! We will baptize three people next Sunday! Wow how blessed am I! I’m so happy that the Lord has given me this chance to really give my all and become the instrument that I am supposed to be! Yes it’s hard but it is so worth it, in Spanish the phrase is “la obra misional vale la pena”. And it seriously is so worth it! I feel like I really have become the missionary that I wanted to be at the beginning of my mission, but now that I am here I have realized that I need to be better than just a missionary, I need to live it and magnify my calling! I can’t wait and I have this hunger to be better and better and to really enjoy the work! 

KARLA, this girl is super cool, a little bit gangster but she is changing, and fast! She did not pass her interview, thus the reason we did not have her baptism yesterday, but what we really did like to hear was she really confessed everything. So what happened was she stole a bunch of stuff, the way to repent of these things is to give back the stuff or pay the cost, for a 15 year old girl with a baby the cost almost made me puke hearing about how much it was.  Funny story she stole from Wal-Mart, here in Chile Wal-Mart goes by "lider" she stole notebooks and pencils to study math................hahaha.  When I was in high school I just chose not to study! But in total the price was one hundred and forty dollars of stuff she stole, that’s a lot of math homework she has to do hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha but with her mom we are all going to lider to give back the money to finish the repentance process!  I know that God is happy with this family that a little girl can go to such great lengths to repent of the things she has done to have the sins be washed away by baptism! When she came out from the interview it broke my heart but I then remembered a story from my childhood that helped me learn not to steal, here it goes,

One day my family was in Wal-Mart "ironically its the same store hahahahahah" and I was super little and it was only my little brother and I and my mom and dad, after buying the stuff we got into the car and my brother Luke said "look what I have" and he pulled out a yellow round smiley face air freshener from Wal-Mart and I was shocked that my dad would buy such a thing and give it to Luke.  Turns out he stole it.  But what was the best thing that my dad could ever do was take Luke back and make him give it back and talk to the manager! When Luke came back into the car with tears streaming down his face I was honestly horrified, I decided to never steal again, let alone a air freshener hahahahahaha

Turns out Karla thought that was funny, lets just say the story saved us. We then bought her an ice-cream and talked about the Atonement of Jesus Cristo. It was a good experience; she will give the money back soon! Trust me I will take pictures

We are also going to baptize the family Castillo, they are so great and I know that they are chosen to be ready for the gospel right when Elder Lima and I became companions. It is so great to see this family come together around the gospel, there is nothing better then singing hymns with a family for family home evening and then watch the spirit work through us as the father was crying during the sacrament! Wow breathless, pure gifts from Christ.

As for Elder Lima and I, we are getting along great! I tried to make pancakes but they failed but we ate them with cheese and it was good! Also he is teaching me phrases in Portuguese and I hope I can learn the basics, ha-ha it is such a blessing to have him here, I’m learning the sector fast and I feel good about how we are getting along and becoming closer as a companionship!

Today we woke up at about 5 to go to a city and get into the PDI or really the FBI and change my direction on my license.  It was cool to see them in hummers and stuff, but we are dead tired! And no one sells breakfast here! What the heck! I’m convinced that I could make bank opening a Waffle House.

I met a guy who is a member of the church who is exactly like my cousin Jacob Thorn hill, I will send pics next Monday, he is teaching me to play the bongos hahahahs


Love you all so much, this is the best two years FOR my life, I can’t wait to be even better! Without tears we don’t know how to smile! 

Me at an Art Museum, missed you a bunch Mom.

Frying some fish, yummy!

Flea bites on the neck

This is what my sector looks like

Yummy intestines over rice

Family time, Family Home Evening

Monday, April 6, 2015

April 6th, 2015: I love and Follow the Lord

So how was general conference for ya? Man I loved it so much and I was starving with spiritual hunger! I feel that sometimes we are so blessed for all the little things we have done but yet we are always looking for bigger and bigger blessings! The thing that’s important is that we are actually receiving blessings! Wow how cool is that! the smallest blessing for us as faithful members of the church might be the biggest blessing for an investigator who is trying to find themselves and be baptized, THERE ARE NO SUCH THING AS SMALL BLESSINGS AND BIG BLESSINGS......ITS THE WAY WE LOOK AT THEM. If we are always looking for the bigger blessing we will lose sight of all the precious blessings we receive throughout the day, a smile from a friend, a hug from a love one and answers through the spirit that god truly does live!  This week was incredible! My knowledge of the sector is getting better and we are working harder than ever before! 

So our sector obviously is a little bit sketchy in the night time but the people are really happy, it’s really a lot different than Valparaiso, there are hills but not too bad at all, the people are a poor working class and many are fishermen, so I love sharing all the stories from the bible when Jesus is talking and calling upon all to be fishers of men. It really helps them feel that the Lord is there to bless their lives, we are finding more and more people to teach! I am so happy for Karla and all she is doing to change her life, she feels very strongly about the church and I hope she will keep going strong, pray for her! She has a big problem with cigarettes and smokes like a chimney but she has been clean since Friday! This girl is only 15 and she has seen the very blackest of times, it goes to show that the scriptures are not lying when he said we must build our foundation upon the rock who is Christ!  The cool thing about her is her neighbors are listening as well! We are happy for them and they will be getting baptized soon as well! I sure hope that this next week I will be sending pics of us in white! yaaaaaaaa

My companion and I are getting along really well together and I am happy he is here, he is a future leader and I want to be like him! What more could I ask for hahaha but really we are coming together and I am enjoying my time here.  It is way cooler than Valpo but I have been getting pretty burned about it will all pass eventually.

One story that I loved was how Elder Lima and I taught with real intent, it was awesome to see the light in people’s eyes, the secret is to help them find the answers on their own, when they do this they’re really learning.  How can we spit and throw tons of scripture and arrogantly show our talents when it will not change the person, a smile, a testimony and stories really will change lives.  I love the people here and I love my sector. 

My sector really does have all the city with the hill.  It’s weird to see, but people do change the higher up you go. The higher up is the people who struggle more and live more in the street.  While the busy city below keeps the people flying by and the people on the hill are more happy to talk!

I want you all to know one of my favorite things to do is share a big grin and a goofy smile, it’s my way of shedding the light and love for the world, oh, and teaching of course! Love you all.
Stormy P Days means pancakes and hymns.  SWEET!

This is our house and balcony, its pretty sweet
but I feel like I will fall off at any moment
So in our sector we have the firefighters! "wish they would of been there in Valparaiso when we had the big fire.
 But this is their motto photo. Kind of scary right? hahahahaha I would not want that guy grabbing me!
 I will get myself to safety thank you very much!
A convert made this for me.

Study Sesh, long live the companion study time.

My gross bathroom, filled with water like a swimming pool.