It's a Little Chile Down Here...But Kinda Warm in Brazil: A Package from Elder Andrew!!!!!

Package from Elder Andrew

Dear Family,

This is going to be another short email. I feel like Elder Guerrero and I are just getting busier and busier! But like you BOTH said in your emails to me, being busy is a very good thing, and it has been helping me out a lot to stay focused. Elder Guerrero is from the northern part of Mexico City. His parents are both converts -- they got baptized when he was 1, so he has basically spent his whole life in the church, but he is the first missionary in his family. He has four siblings, and in his family there are two sets of twins -- he and his twin brother are the babies of the family, but he is two minutes older than his twin. He has been on the mission for about nine months, and he spent the first part of his mission in Puente Alto. I am his first companion who is North American.

It was a really good week, a really busy week. Elder Guerrero and I have set lots of goals, and for the most part we are reaching them. We are finding new people to teach and we are trying hard to work with the ward leaders. At the beginning of our companionship we set the goal to improve our relationship with the bishop, and that had been helping us out a ton. We are making major strides with the bishop now -- I feel like we are getting on the same page. Actually, yesterday we had a big meeting with all of the bishops and stake presidents in the mission and all of the missionaries came together to talk about the importance of our unity. We learned that the the bishop and the missionaries need to be best friends. We´re getting there.

We actually had lots of really good lessons during the week, and on Sunday too -- we had a really fun family home evening with a less active family. It was cool because when I was with Elder Sercovich we were just teaching and visiting one member of the family, but now we are teaching the family as a whole -- one by one they decided to join in, and last night we had a family home evening with all of them. We are helping them to start reading the Book of Mormon as a family. And then we met their neighbor, who is also a less active member and we were able to teach and have onze (dinner) with him and his family who aren't members.

Today we spend the morning doing studies and then we went to a little artesanía fair and bought a couple of souvenirs. Then, we went to a mexican restaurant for lunch, where we ran into President and Hna Wright. It was the fiurst time I have ever run into them on P-Day. It looked like they were enjoying their P-day too, aha.

Dad, thank you for the scripture, i actually kind of feel like i have not been taking care of my mind and body as well as i should, as of late. I have been DRAINED over these past few days. But your scripture helped me to understand that if i really do love and care for these people, i need to take care of myself so i can be at my 100% to help them out. (D&C 88:124,125 Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated. And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.)

I love you all so much. I know that the church is true. Thank you for your love and support. EVERONE WATCH GENERAL CONFERENCE. We have a prophet today just like in the times of Noah and Moses -- What a blessing!

have a great week!

with love,

Elder Schwartz