#ACT

Hello!! Elder Araujo is awesome, we are having a good time here in the sector.  I will send pics of the apartment this week. It is pretty pathetic....I wouldn`t want you to suffer seeing the space in which 6 are expected to live ;) man. living is rough. it does have advantages, like family nights, house jokes, house meals, and other things....but honestly, after living 2 missionaries for 4 and a half months....I miss my own world :) Sharing the ward isn`t as fun, it`s like, limited work. I can`t go over to help that less active and teach her because she doesn`t live on my side of the ward, etc. But it`s all inspired, so I support and follow it. More of a concentrated focus on our sides of the streets! 

This was a week of miracles for Elder Araujo and I! We were able to be out working in the heat, and even though the heat is a great struggle for my companion, he was valiant to push through and keep working in the sun. We were blessed for his efforts. On Saturday morning, around 12ish, we were headed back to the house to eat lunch. On the way back, we greeted a pareja who smiled and greeted us back, and we started to contact them. We quickly found out that they were less actives, and learned that they had stopped going to church because they weren`t married. We were able to set up a cita with them, and invite them to church the next day. Sunday morning, 9am, the pareja and their 5 kids were there in the chapel! We were able to go by later that night and teach, were able to put baptismal dates for all the kids and another uncle present, and today the boyfriend went to take out the license to get married. Super awesome!

Monday, we contacted a pretty long street from 4 to 5, and were rejected door after door. We were both feeling the heat, and we didn`t really have a lot to say to eachother...but we kept contacting, hoping to find at least 1. And sure enough, last door of the street, a man named Carlos opened the door and let us in, with who we had a great lesson about the Restoration. We fixed another cita with him for today, and he committed to come to church on Sunday and also be baptized. 

5 baptismal dates! Wow! February is normally the month of struggle and adversity (according to the Chile Santiago South Legends)...but we`re having a little bit of a harvest over here. We feel like we`re in the District, being filmed haha. Everything is going well. Hard work, hot sun, lots of contacts,. lots of door slams, BUT some people are answering the call :) (#ACT, California Trip, Teachers and Priests, Logo Cred to John Johnson)

I feel grateful for those who are answering the Savior`s Call to follow Him here in Los Robles...it inspires me to recognize and answer the call He extends to me, to come and follow Him as well. I guess a lot of my mission I have been inspired by those choosing to NOT follow the Lord, and have been able to learn a little bit by watching what doesn`t work. But wow! It`s a lot more fun to be inspired by people who are choosing to follow the Lord, to observe the GOOD that people are doing and be inspired by that! One can justify looking through both lenses, cause I guess you DO learn from both, but I have enojoyed the miracles this week and the opportunity to recognize the good in these people. 

I guess it`s a principle I have been able to start to realize out here in Chile. If I immediately open up to other people, they generally immediately open up to me, too. If I tell them my story, I have found that they normally tell me their`s, too. If I listen to them, they listen to me, too. If I get frustrated with them, and judge, and attack without knowing the details, nor caring to investigate, I can expect the same thing coming my way. If I see the good in others, they others see the good in me, too. If I give freely, I receive freely. If I love uncondicionally, I can generally expect an unconditional love towards me, too. 

Cachài?!

Love you! Time is flying...

-Elder Hixon