Happy New Year 2010

January 2, 2010 (the start of a new decade)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Wow, I still can’t believe it’s 2010 already! Can you believe that this year I’ll already be coming home from the mission? It’s all passing by way too fast. But, I’m enjoying every minute and learning a ton! This mission has been and is the greatest experience of my life. I am excited for the upcoming transfer, though I have no idea what’s going to happen. I guess we’ll see in a couple weeks!

How is everything going in Albuquerqueville 2010??? Here in Antofagasta, for the New Year, we had a great and spiritual baptismal service for our investigator Javiera Jamet. On Sunday, after her confirmation, we had a Family Home Evening with all the family, and the spirit was really strong. Leah, one of Javiera’s cousins, has also decided to be baptized in 2 weeks, and the family is just blossoming. It is amazing to see the fruits of the gospel in families like the Jamets!

For New Year’s Eve, we went to the Mission home and again ate a huge Turkey dinner. It was great, and afterwards we enjoyed watching fireworks from our apartment’s balcony. Then, for New Year’s Day, we went to the mission home again and had an awesome lunch: steak, lamb, chorrizos, and more meat, all cooked on the grill! I really love President Urra and Hermana Urra; they are great examples and are such wonderful people. During our dinner on New Year’s eve, they served us wasabi, and you know what happens with missionaries and wasabi! We had a wasabi contest, and it was really funny. We got it on camera too. I’m not sure who won, but President’s son Marcelino left running to the bathroom after about 10 seconds with wasabi in his mouth. He said that he laughed while it was in his mouth, and it started to go up into his nose… Poor guy. :) Anyways, that was pretty funny for a New Year’s Eve game.

On Friday, for the New Year, we also went to the beach again, like last week. This time, we had another great day as Elder Galli, Elder Mortensen and I got a little lost in some caves down by the shore. It was an awesome little adventure. Then, we again played volleyball, and Elder Galli sent out a boat with a pamphlet of the Restoration out to sea. It was great fun.

Anyways, I’ve got to get going already! I love you all so much and hope that all is well! Let me know how everyone is and what some of your New Year’s goals are. :)

Have a wonderful 2010, and let’s make it the best year of our lives!

Chistmas 2009

December 26, 2009 (The Day After Christmas)

Since we got some good talking in yesterday, I’ve decided to send you a ton of pictures today and just let you know what’s going on here in Antofagasta. Just last Saturday, we had an awesome baptismal service. As a mission, we had a goal to have 4 baptisms for every companionship within the last three months of the year (October-December). In Antofagasta Centro, we reached the goal last Saturday and had our 8th baptism (there are 2 companionships working in Antofagasta Centro). I had the wonderful chance to baptize one of our converts, Paola Vega, who is from Iquique. She has developed a really powerful testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I am very grateful for the privilege I had to help her find this joy in her life. Today, in just 2 short hours, we’re also going to have a baptismal service for Javiera Jamet, an awesome and smart 11-year-old investigator who we have taught for a few months now. The field really is white, ready to harvest. I love being a missionary and having such awesome experiences!

On Monday, I got a call from our mission president with a special assignment for the morning – to drive some of the sister missionaries to their Christmas activity at “La Playa Escondida” (The Hidden) near Antofagasta. I went along with Elder Madrigal, Marcelino (the President’s son) and the mission president’s wife (Hermana Urra). When we got to the beach, I miscalculated the density of the sand along the shore, and sure enough, the little Ford Ranger I was driving got stuck in the sand! So, while the sister had their Christmas activity, we also had a fun activity digging the truck out of the sand! At the end, we finally got the truck out. We ended up tying rope to the hitch of the truck and hooking it up to the President’s Explorer. When this didn’t work, we found out we just needed a little more lift in the back, so my companion drove as I lifted up the back of the truck with all my might. It was lots of fun. :)

On Christmas Eve, for the “Noche Buena,” we had an awesome Turkey dinner and ate until we could hardly move. Then we opened up gifts from our Secret Santa. Elder Romero was my Secret Santa, and he gave me a great little leather wallet and pocket notebook with my name burned into it, along with pictures from Antofagasta. It was great! Later that night, back in our own apartment, we all opened up the gifts we received from our house and from members. It went really great! Thank you so much for the package that you sent, the sweet backpack and awesome shoes, and all the treats and socks and love! It really was everything I could ever need as a missionary – thank you!

On Christmas day, we went out teaching, caroling, and visiting with members and investigators at our Ward Christmas Party. That also went awesome, though we were again given a ton of food. It seems like we have enough goodies now to last until the end of next year! We are really blessed in the gospel and as missionaries here in Chile.

Today, we had a fun activity at the beach as the office staff. We went and played with water guns, volleyball, soccer, and all that jazz. Please forgive me for the picture that’s a little scandalous, the one of me almost diving into the water at the beach. I was really just washing all the sand off my face after playing volleyball... :)

Well, I have had an amazing week. I’m now off to teach and preach again! Thank you for always being so awesome; we really do have the greatest family that I could ever ask for. We have been blessed exceedingly by a loving Heavenly Father. Let’s all live in Thanksgiving for what we have been given, remembering always the pure and simple truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I know that we’ll be able to live together forever in love and happiness. This is the greatest blessing we could ever ask for!

Christmas News Letter from Sam

Beloved Friends and Family,

I still can’t believe we’re coming to the close of another incredible year. It has been one of the greatest years of my life, and even though I miss being with all of you, I know I am where I am meant to be.

At the start of this year, I was still with my trainer here in the Mission Chile Antofagasta, Elder Cañellas.

We worked hard and had much success, even though I still didn’t have much control of the Spanish language. We worked in a ward called Simón Bolívar in the beautiful coastal city of Arica: La ciudad de eterna primavera (The City of Eternal Spring). I felt God’s hand in my life every day as I struggled to learn a foreign language, as I became accustomed to a new culture and felt the love of the Chilean people. It was a time of miracles and great joy for me. The greatest miracle that I witnessed wasn’t the gift of learning a new language, as I thought it would be before leaving to serve here in Chile. It was the simple gift of love that came as I lost myself in the service of these wonderful people. I was also blessed to serve with two extraordinary missionaries: Elder Cañellas (from Asunción, Paraguay) and Elder Knackstedt (from Seattle, WA).

After talking with my family on Mother’s day, I had been in Arica for 6 months. I received the dreaded phone call informing me that I was to be transferred to the city of Copiapó, an 18-hour bus ride from one side of the mission to the other. It was there that I met my new companion and great friend, Elder Rivas (from San Salvador, El Salvador). We worked hard in our little ward, Los Pimientos, and saw many miracles as we grew together spiritually and physically: Spiritually as we learned to follow the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, and physically as the loving members gave us mountains of food and as we came to adore Chilean sweets (including alfajores and manjar... Mmmmm). 

However, after just one transfer (1.5 months) in Copiapó, I found out once again that I was to be transferred. But I know there was a purpose in my short time in Copiapó. Before I left, one loving member of my ward told me in the sincerity of her heart that she felt I was called for that short time to Copiapó just to help her and her family in a time of crisis. I know that I was meant to go to the beautiful city of Copiapó and that there really were many people waiting and ready to hear the message of the gospel from me. What a great blessing it is to be an instrument in the hands of God!

Arica

When the transfer in Copiapó ended, I received an unexpected phone call from the mission president. He extended to me my first assignment in the mission – to be the financial secretary. For me, the mission was about to change dramatically. I made the 8-hour bus ride up to Antofagasta from Copiapó and began to learn my role as financial secretary. In the mission office, I was blessed to work with some of the greatest missionaries that I know. The greatest blessing was to be close to our mission president, Presidente Urra, and to feel of his wisdom and genuine love for all of us.

Copiapó

As I worked in the mission office with Elder Hansen (my financial secretary trainer from Las Vegas, NV), Elder Brandau (secretary from Talagante, Chile), Elder and Sister Steed (Commissary and Historian from UT), Elder Shirley (AP from CA), Elder Galli (AP from Argentina), Elder Romero (AP from Chile), and later, to my great surprise and joy, Elder Rivas (Commissary and Historian), I learned more than I have ever learned in such a short period of time. I have not only learned economy, finances, and accounting (all in Spanish!), I also learned about families, patience, service, and love. I have enjoyed every moment of my service as the financial secretary, even with the many difficulties we have had. We have also worked hard in our proselyting sector, Antofagasta Centro, and have had much success in bringing souls unto Christ. It is a great blessing and privilege to be a missionary for the only true and living God and His son, Jesus Christ. I love the work here in Chile! 

I have recently begun to train a new financial secretary after 6 months of service here in Antofagasta. My new companion, and the new financial secretary, is Elder Mortensen (from Salt Lake City, UT), an amazing missionary who was in my group in the MTC! We are working hard and having much success, as well as a great time together. I know this is God’s work, and I know that He loves His children. I have come to love the people in every sector that I have been, and knowing that I will shortly be leaving Antofagasta Centro hurts me, but I know the Lord is preparing people and opportunities for me in other places here in the mission. I don’t know where I’ll be after this transfer has ended, nor do I know what I’ll be doing. But I do know that I’ll be in the service of my God, and that is exactly where I want to be.

I love this Christmas Season here in the hot Atacama Desert – the same spirit of love and rejoicing is in the air. Though my only wish is that I could be with all of you this Holiday Season, I know I am where I am needed. I send you all my love and a Merry Christmas to all! Thank you for all your support, your love, and all that you do for me. Each of you has had a great impact in my life.

With all my love this Holiday Season,

Elder Samuel D. Hobbs

Got the package!

December 19, 2009 (Hurray for Christmas!)

Thank you so much for the box that you sent! I loved it! It got here this week, and I felt so loved! It was awesome to open it up and put all the presents under our little Christmas tree. It really feels like Christmas now! Thank you so much for all the love and sugar you packed into the box – I’ll wait until Christmas to open the gifts, but I gave into the temptation and started eating the sweets early! I hope you don’t mind!

Can you believe that Christmas is already here? It didn’t really sink in until we were talking with some people in the street and we made an appointment to visit a family on Christmas day – less than a week! I remember waiting for this day anxiously every year, and now it seems like we were talking on Christmas day just yesterday. It’s crazy how fast time flies, doesn’t it? It is especially strange here in South America because it’s starting to get really hot, and the typical Christmas gift exchange includes water guns and swimming pool accessories. How strange, huh?

This week has been really awesome and filled with lots of miracles. Today is the baptism of Paola Vega, our awesome investigator who has been progressing like crazy since we met her 4 weeks ago. And I’ll be baptizing her! I’ll send some pictures next week. This mission is just great, always filled this miracles and the tender mercies of a loving Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the many blessings that we have received as members and as we strive to follow Christ. It’s true that our Heavenly Father only wants us to be happy!

This week, we had an awesome Zone Conference (and gift exchange) where we were introduced to a new teaching model as taught by Elder Bednar at a recent Mission President Seminar (it’s really just a clarification of what Preach My Gospel already says). As missionaries, we are a little bit too focused on giving commitments and not in teaching the doctrine. That is, if we give a commitment that someone doesn’t understand, it doesn’t make any sense to the person to keep the commitment. We learned that doctrine is a group of principles that answers the question “Why?” Why should I listen to the missionaries? Why do I need Christ in my life? The principles are points of truth that act as a guide to help the person keep a commitment, which is usually the question “How?” We’ve been studying this teaching model and have seen lots of success. For example, the other day we had a lesson with a member who had many questions. One of his questions was: How can I better feel, recognize, and understand answers that God gives me? As we haven’t taught all the commandments yet to this investigator, I thought it would be neat to give this new teaching model a try. To answer his question, we taught the Word of Wisdom. We taught that the spirit can dwell inside of us, which is what gives us answers. Then we taught that our bodies are sometimes referred to as Temples because the spirit can reside in us. But, the spirit can’t reside in impure temples. That is why God reveals many things that we can do to maintain a pure temple where the spirit of the Lord can reside. We then taught why it is so important that we take care of the bodies that we have. At the end of the lesson, we testified that if this investigator wanted to better understand the spirit of God, all he needed to do was start living some of the commandments, like the word of wisdom. And, there is a specific promise that we can receive treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures. That sounds like a clearer answer to me! He accepted our invitation without hesitation and told his wife: “I don’t know if you want to do this with me. But if you offer me something like a drink or coffee, I’m not going to do it. It’s not because I can’t; it's just that I don’t WANT to now.” It was really neat to see how this teaching model can help in lots of different situations.

We’ve been really busy and working hard here in the office as well. We’ve closed out 10 apartments and opened up a lot of new ones. I think Elder Mortensen is getting a hang of his responsibilities, but it has been hard for him because there is always TONS of work to do in the office – even with 2 people instead of 1! But I do enjoy training a new financer. It’s been lots of work, but it’s awesome to see how much I have learned in the past 6 months and pass all of that knowledge on to someone else.

Well, I have to get going now, but MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! I love you all and am thinking of you lots this week. Thank you for writing and thinking of me as well. I have the best family and the most amazing friends ever – it’s true!

With all my love this Christmas week.

12 Days till Christmas

December 12, 2009 (happy middle of December)

Wow, I can't believe Christmas is on it's way so soon! It's pretty crazy... :)

I'm sending some pictures that we took this morning, but we were shooting into backlight a bit, so they didn't turn out too great. But, it's better than nothing!

This week has been pretty crazy. Along with transfers in the mission, 15 missionaries left the mission, 10 missionaries arrived, we closed out 10 missionary apartments, we had the Zone Leader Conference, and now we're preparing for all the Zone Conferences next week and Christmas! Tons of packages are arriving every day; it was especially crazy yesterday when like 40 packages arrived and the elevator broke, so they had to carry them all up to the fifth floor by hand! Poor package carrying guy...

It's been fun but challenging to start training Elder Mortensen as the new Financial Secretary. However, I am learning a lot with him, and I can finally see how much I have really learned as I have been here in the office. It's incredible to see the progress in my life and in the life of others. And I finally understand finances and all that jazz! Economy, laws, and all in Spanish!

And some good news is that a new missionary arrived that we didn't know was coming, which means I'll have more time to train Elder Mortensen (I hope) and be here in Antofagasta Centro. I have really grown to love the members and people in my ward -- they are so awesome! It's amazing how much love we can gain in such a short span of time as we spend our time in the service of others.

One miracle that we had this week is as we left to teach in our sector and all of our appointments fell through. We walked around and didn't know what we should do, so we stopped by the house of an old investigator, Bastian, who is 11 years old. We shared a Christmas message, sang, and then felt impressed to speak about baptism. We challenged him to be baptized this month (he had attended church for a lot of time before), and he enthusiastically responded in the affirmative! His parents support him, and he will be baptized shortly. I love the many miracles here in the mission field.

Thank you for all your love and support. You are all in my prayers always. I hope that you have the greatest Christmas ever and that you can feel the same amazing Christmas spirit that I can feel here in the Atacama desert. This really has been the greatest year of my life, and I am so grateful for the many miracles that we witness daily. This is God's work.

Training a new financer

December 8, 2009 (Sorry I didn't write sooner)

Sorry I didn't write sooner! We've been super busy in the office and in our sector, especially working with the upcoming transfers. 15 missionaries are leaving the mission, and there are 10 arriving. It's been lot's of work, and the craziest part is that our internet service in the office died the other day! We still don't know what happened, so here I am in an internet café for the first time in 6 months of being in the office. It's kinda fun!

Sorry I don't have any pictures! But I sure do have lots of stories to tell! Just today, I started training a new financer! The new financer is my good friend Elder Mortensen from Salt Lake City. We were roommates in the MTC! How crazy... This change means I'll finally have the chance to burn a little bit of the fat I've been gaining here in the office, but poor Elder Mortensen will have to endure Christmas in the office. :) However, we had a special transfer because one missionary won't be coming who we thought would. So, that means that President wants me to train Elder Mortensen in 2 WEEKS and then work in another sector here in Antofagasta for the rest of the transfer. I'm not sure if it'll be possible, especially because we still don't have internet for the majority of the office work, but I'll try my best! We'll see how everything goes...

This week was filled with work and stress, but tons of miracles as well! We had one baptism last weekend, David Vásquez Jamet, an awesome young man. But I don't have the pictures with me! We also have one investigador, Paola, who has been attending church for some time now. We went to her house on Sunday (she lives with a member family), and the family told us that Paola had some bad news. She was going back to her own family for the Holidays in Iquique and didn't want to be baptized before leaving. We were pretty bummed, but then we looked at Paola and she was just smiling. The whole family burst into laughter and screamed, "JUST KIDDING!!!!" Paola had received a really special answer to her prayer and will be baptized on December 19th! We were full of joy to hear this news.

The rest of the day we were elated, and as we worked we just found miracle after miracle. Everyone we talked to wanted to hear our message. The Lord really does put people in our paths for us to find, but we can help these people only as we are ready and willing to listen to the spirit and then ACT upon the impressions we receive.

Well, I don't have too much more time to write. I wish I could write to all of you individually! Thank you so much for your letters. And Jenny, the crazy part is that I understood everything you said in your letter! I guess that means I speak Spanish now... Crazy... Well, I'm off to the office to train the new missionaries.