Guess Who's Back, Back Again

wazzzzz uuuuuuuuupppppppppppppppp?! guys... i dont remember anything
that has happened this week... all i know is that its been crazy and
that im in a different sector with a new companion..

so yeah see ya next week with the deets....



hah. jk.

so im in quilpue again... but in the actual zone of quilpue, not in
belloto where i started my mission a year ago, but we literally limit
my last sector, and my old pension is in our sector now! but the ward
seems awesome, super different than coquimbo, but awesome. plus i have
the sickest comp in the world!!! his name is elder mcelhaney and hes a
complete stud! hes from arizona (this is 4 american comps in a row but
thats chill) and he got to the mission 2 weeks before me but we go
home together! the reason that he got here before is because
originally he was assigned to el salvador and the day he got to the
mtc in provo, they told him the first presidency had changed his call
to chile and asked him if he accepted it haha! itd be crazy, but the
dude has got so much faith he doesnt doubt that the lord wanted him
here. so here we are! hes so cool and we really got along since the
moment we met, its gonna be a good change!

im not gonna lie.. it was tough to leave coquimbo. i love that place,
and the people there so much! it was really sad, but the good thing is
that patricia our investigator there is getting baptized this week and
is progressing really well! here in quilpue were working super hard to
revitalize a zone that is dying a little bit... it used to be a high
baptizing zone, but lately it has had very few baptisms due to many
factors including the fact that they took out a lot of missionaries
becasue the mission is getting smaller... but were gonna change it!
weve made some changes already and were seeing some results and really
i dont think ive ever been so pumped to just get out and find chosen
investigators! were gonna get it going and just find a ton of good
peeps! right now we have a couple of people that could progress but
nobody that is going to church.. but we aint worried. its gonna be
good. yesterday we started something called funday sunday wehre the
first companionship to set a baptism date with a new investigator gets
a prize at volleyball today and it actually worked really well!
amazing what little things can do to cause big changes. the glory is
in the details as nate carling always said.


on friday my comp had to go to a new leaders meeting and i had no one
to be with... so i teamed up with an elder from valpo and we went to
valpo together to a district meeting and to lunch! haha it was awesome
i was so happy to take a trip down memory lane in valpo! i love that
place its beautiful.

the first night i got here to quilpue my comp was vomiting in the
streets but hes so sick that he refused to call the nurse or go home
so we kept working. haha i got a video of it that is pretty funny. he
was making noises that i never even knew existed. the moral of teh
story is that were gonna have an awesome change. im just overall
really excited to get going.

i know that there are a bunch of cool stories of things that happened
this week but i cant remember anything becasue i had NO time to write
in my journal or do anything.

love you guys have a great week. do the little things and great things
will be brought about.

-elder allred - chilean street raptor

photos- mate sesh, and this circus dude that we contacted put his
toucan bird on my shoulder

It's a Hard Knock Life

well... this week was rough... and then good. kind of like every week.
but no oscar did not get baptized... :( that man has caused me SO MUCH
GRIEF.

this week we have changes and i have no idea what is going to happen.
on tuesday night theyll call us and tell us who is leaving and
wednesday early in the morning we´ll be on the bus to viña if either
of us leave. yeah i have 6 months here but i think theres a decent
chance i stay. elder frampton is the assistant now so ive got a little
swing in the office. i told him if they dont know where to put me to
just let me stick it out here in coquimbo. i love this place.

but yeah on monday we went to oscars house to have what was supposed
to be a great family home evening with the bishop in preparation for
his baptismal interview. the elders from another sector had even seen
him looking for a suit that morning for his baptism! and when we got
there he told us he couldnt do it. that his depression had hit him
again and that he couldnt go through with it. ah it was so hard to
hear. if this guy doesnt decide to get baptized in this life i cant
imagine him having another chance. hes received so many answers. ahhh
its so tough.

the good part is that patricia, this lady that we have been teaching
progressed so much this week! shes got a testimony of the book of
mormon, she came to all three hours of church, and is ready to be
baptized next weekend. hopefully we can get all of the lessons in that
we need to before then with changes and everything! but the best part
is that everyone befriended her so well in the ward and invited her to
two different familiy home evenings this week it was awesome!!! if i
stay.. we´ll have a baptism on saturday i believe.

this week we had interchanges with probably the most notorious sector
in the whole mission... andacollo. andacollo is considered one of the
most catholic places on earth. the virgen of andacollo is one of the
most renowned in all of chile. its a complete joke. every year people
walk on feet or on knees to this little village tucked up and away
from coquimbo like 2 hours on bus until they get to the virgin to be
forgiven for their sins for the year. the hardest part about it all is
that everyone is so like programmed with what they believe that
anything else than adoring the virgin just sounds so crazy. wooo, it
was tough. but i actually really enjoyed it and i feel like i learned
a ton. there are a lot of good people. i would love to work in a small
branch like that some day.

our convert christian got confirmed and received the priesthood this
week so that was tight! he´ll pass the sacrament next week and next
month he will be ordained a priest when he turns 16. also the bishop
called me saturday night to see if i could give a talk the next
morning in church. so i was like yeah whatever but not all that pumped
about it. however my topic was what are the things that helped me
prepare to serve a mission... it was so awesome! it helped me remember
so many things and so many people that helped me along the way to get
where i am at now. i learned a lot by doing it.

sorry this was kind of boring but all i want to do is go play soccer.
i dont know why but i hate writing these things. and writing in my
journal. but i know maybe someday they will come in handy again as i
look back on what will have been the best two years of  my life. the
mission is the bomb. im going all out this next change!

love you all

-elder allred - chilean street raptor

Elder Allred's Companion

Queridos Padres de Elder Allred,

Solo quería tomar un momento para... Nah I speak english

But in all seriousness I wanted to take a moment to write you and to thank you for all that you have done for your son to make him the fantastic missionary that he is. I have been with him for about 5 weeks now and they have been more than awesome. 

Your son is a very hard worker and enjoys every minute of it. He is always thinking about others, how he can help them, and what he can do to help them come closer to Christ. Not only has he been my favorite companion, but also one of my best friends on the mission. I have only worked with him for 5 weeks here, but I was in the MTC in mexico with him and got to know him there.

You have definitely raised a son who is confident and knowledgeable in the gospel. You can definitely be proud of what he has done with the Allred Name. We have laughed, we have almost cried, we have been stressed, and we have been determined. And through all of it he has pushed on. He is really a great missionary, friend, and person. He always talks about the changes that have happened in the mission and the advice and guidance that you gave him before the mission. I know that you were really a big part of his life and have always been important for him. Keep up what you have been doing and your son will go far. 

Some of the things that I really admire in your son is his drive to do what the lord wants him to do. After conference not only did he enjoy the talks, but he truly applied them to his life and has taught me ever so much. I admire his desire to have success and his drive to back it up. I admire the way he smiles and greets everyone, and how he has the heart that really means it. I admire the way that he fights for whats right when its hard, and only has the righteous desire behind it. And I admire the way he respects me and helps me grow everyday. 

I dont know how much time I will be with him here in the mission, but whatever time I get I will definetly cherish. I hope that it isnt only a mission memory but a faithful friend forever. 

Thank you again for raising, guiding, and supporting such a great son and sending him to be on the mission with me. 

Be proud.

Sincerely,

Elder Taylor Nielson

The Curious Case of Oscar Herrera

well i guess this is what happens when you put off writing the group
email until last cause i have like not time. its whatevs though im
totes down.

this. week. was. awesome.

we had a lot of miracles but ill just start from where im at. get it?
that was an elder uchtdorf quote. oh by the way holy smokes so i
downloaded the whole five session of conference last week onto my
pendrive and ive been listening to all the talks again and it has been
a blast. wow i would love to wind back 3 years and hear myself say
that one. but yeah anyway ive listened to elder christoffersons talk
like 3 times. that guy is pure power. his talk about the need for a
church needs to be listened to by every single person here in chile.
im thinking about replacing lesson one in preach my gospel and just
putting that in so that everyone can understand the doctrinal need of
an organization divinely appointed by god.

so yeah.. yesterday we had cristians baptism!!! it was so awesome and
the spirit was so strong! hes really come a long way and the best part
about it all was that he has become really good friends with our homie
cameron (thats alexis´ son) and he had the honor of performing the
baptism!! we were so pumped and it was just all around a good time.
tonight were gonna have a family home evening with him on the tenth
floor of a beachside apartment and eat some good food! woohoo!! also
hes coming to playing soccer with everyone in like an hour so that
should be chill.

on friday we had interchanges and i stayed in my sector with a
relatively new but training missionary from the south of chile in a
place called temuco. well that just happens to be the place where old
man oscar was born as well. so even though he told us not to come by
for two weeks we decided to go anyway... we arrived and we werent
getting anywhere. for about an hour it was the same old thing with
oscar we just kept coming to the same dead ends. but then his son, the
bishop came in and was looking for something. he stopped for a little
bit and was listening to us as the spirit told us EXACTLY what oscar
needed to hear. for a long time oscar had blamed his lack of not
receiving an answer from god to see if he should get baptized because
he struggled to concentrate in his prayers. but i have no doubt in my
mind that the spirit guided us into it and we asked him, oscar maybe
its not because you cant concentrate in your prayers that you havent
received an answer, maybe its becasue you already know what you have
to do and therefore god cant give you a stronger reply. the bishop sat
down and began to testify of it and that is when the spirit touched
his heart. i seriously thought i was in a dream as i heard the words
come out of his mouth that he would get baptized the 17th! THE OLD MAN
IS GETTIN DUNKED!!! im so pumped but i know its going to take a lot of
prayers and faith to get him there. he has a habit of falling into
deep depresssion at random times but i know he can do it. pray for
him.

another great experience was the day before as we taught the word of
wisdom to miguel (former atheist) and his mom patricia. they could not
grasp the concept of why tea and wine should be forbidden. it was
after about 30 min that the spirit finally touched the heart of
patricia and she suddenly interrupted us to tell us why it was
important and that she now understood why she had to keep it! it was
incredible! even though miguel had to go to santiago for the weekend,
she came to all three hours of church and stayed after for the baptism
as well! she could get baptized soon, miguel probably needs a little
more time. he has a girl friend in santiago that he sort of likes...
:/ but hes still progressing really well!

this week was tough mentally ill be honest. i think that for every
single time that ive been close to having success on the mission this
happens though. its like i start thinking a lot of negative things and
lacking a little bit of energy. i dont know if it was satan trying to
pull me down, or god trying to test my faith, but me and my comp both
felt it this week. we pushed through though without getting too down
and received the blessing of christians baptism. hopefully we can do
it again this week.

im tired, a little sick, hungry, and i need to poop really bad right
now but i dont think theres any bathrooms nearby. but ive never been
happier.

ive been reading acts lately and paul is such a boss. i just want to
be like him. acts 20: 21-31 really hit me hard. verse 24 says ¨but
none of these things move me, neither count i my life dear unto
myself, so that i might finish my course with joy, and the ministry,
which i have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the
grace of god¨

i know this is the only true church of christ in the world. make it
the center of your lives, trust in god, and discipline yourself enough
to listen to his counsels and the counsels of our leaders. love you
guys.

happy birthday to steve. you da bomb and i love you homie. enjoy hawaii. :)

-elder allred - chilean street raptor

Arrepentios Todos Vosotros

wow what a spectacular weekend of general conference am i right? it
was so amazing i loved every moment of it! pure power!

so i got a good joke to start off this week... how come the lamanites
always got their clothes dirty when they ate? because they never had
the plates!!! HAHA RIGHT?

yeah anyway sorry im done now. this week was... crazy. but good. but
at the same time frustrating. yet looking at it now it was miraculous.
on friday we had to head down to viña for mission council and spent
the whole day in conference and talking about the state of the mission
right now. the truth is... numbers have been going down. hard. we had
the lowest amount of baptisms last month in a long time. its time to
get back on track. people think its due to a lot of different things,
but i feel like more than anything its a mentality that needs to
improve. a hunger for baptism in the mission is so important. that
doesnt mean that if things dont go your way that you have to be angry
or sad, but if you always have the drive to help people get to that
moment of covenant making, you wont be leaving anything on the table.
its tough it really is, but ive never been so happy to do something in
my life. i realized it last night in a lesson after general
conference. the spirit was so strong and as we were there i was just
thinking to myself like i dont ever want to stop doing this. it was
awesome!

this week we literally committed like 10 people to go to the
conference with us and everyone was in! we were so pumped that we were
going to have them there to here our prophet address us! we were so
excited!... and then nobody came. not a single one, until the last
hour of the last session! we were down we really were, but during the
last session we decided to say a prayer together and we asked for a
miracle... 30 minutes later a mom and her son showed up. patricia and
miguel. patricia has been an investigator for a little while and just
recently started progressing a little and desiring to be baptized,
miguel is her 19 year old son that speaks fluent english and two weeks
ago did not believe that god existed. in 14 days he has started
praying, reading the scriptures, and came to church and now has a
baptismal date! last night in the lesson he told us he wants us to
pass by every day this week and he wants to go to church again and any
activity we have, including playing soccer today with us! seeing the
light of christ work in someone is one of the coolest things in this
entire world. also seeing the lord come through and provide a miracle
was a big testimony builder. we were so thankful that they were there
to hear the final talk given by elder bednar that enfatically stated
the need for our beloved prophets and apostles to guide us in a fallen
world.

if i had to choose a favorite talk right now i probably couldnt do
it... there were too many good ones. but a few in particular stood out
to me and i just wanted to make a comment on them. first of all i now
know what kind of wife i want, if anybody chooses to date me. elder
nelsons talk really made me think deeply about the kind of person i
want to be with for all of eternity, and elder hales talk helped me
know what i need to do to find her. sister marriots talk gave me hope
that no matter what comes our way everything will work out if we do as
elder maynes suggested and center our lives on christ like the clay on
the potters wheel. i know i have many weaknesses not only as a
missionary but as a person in general and for that reason i will
follow the counsel from larry lawrence and ask the lord, what lack i
yet?

really there were a million things that were awesome. but what drawed
the most attention to me is that pattern of the talks. i think the
call of personal worthiness, understanding the true purpose of
commandments, obedience, and the need for the sabbath day and the
sacrament to overcome all of those was a resounding general theme! it
was crazy. almost every body mentioned the same things!

other than the fact that i had to do interchanges with a ute fan my
week was awesome. i love this work, i love our prophets and church
leaders, and i love the lord. keep the commandments, stay worthy to
enter the temple, and if youre not there, start from where you are. i
know ive already shared too much but i want to end with a quote that
stuck with me ¨we dont have to be perfect, we just have to be really
good at getting better.¨

love you guys. pray that we have a baptism this week with cristian.
its complicated.

ps: who else love my good pal joey durants dad´s talk? get ponderizing ya fools.

-elder allred - chilean street raptor