The Big Branch

Hello Everyone :)

Happy ... end of February! Cant believe it's almost March... This is madness. Speaking of madness, how's basketball lookin for this year? Anyone know who's gonna win? :) 

Well I had a great week. Me and my comp just had so much fun. Last Monday we went on a tour of Valparaíso with Mariana (a member) and two less active young women! We got to see the sights, and lots of tourists, and art, and old buildings and prisons...and the ocean! It was gorgeous. We also went down an "ascensor". Super old and super fun!

We have also been teaching the Solis Castro family a lot, and they are progressing! They need a little more time than we thought to receive their own testimonies... but slow progress is still progress. And I love that family to pieces!

We had intercambios (exchanges?) this week, and I went to my old area, Placilla, again! I was with Hermana Siler, who is the sweetest person ever, who's from Logan, Utah. We got to be up in the Laguna area, which is almost exactly like the USA except that they speak Spanish. The neighborhood was gorgeous and full of green grass and golden retrievers. :) My paradise. We then got lost in a ditch and emerged into a construction site with thorns all over our clothes - but it was an adventure that we laughed about and will never forget. :) I learned so much and I am so glad for that opportunity to be with Hermana Siler for a day! I have so many goals for the rest of my mission and theyre gonna happen.

We had our last Mission Correlation meeting with Hermano Encina - LOVE THAT GUY! And with our Elders (Pichinte and Ault). We shared stories and food like usual and talked about our investigators. I will really miss that guy! He is now technically in the Quebrada Verde branch, so we will have to get a new mission leader in our Levarte branch.

Yesterday, we saw the big boom of the double branch! Church was packed with people happy and smiling - so obedient to the call to join branches. There were also less actives that came! I was very impressed. I love my branch!

We are working on finding new investigators a lot, because the ones we have currently are continuing to progress or fizzling out. Like Veronica and Lydia. They let us in when we want, but...they dont do anything else, and are not receptive at all. :( Maybe in the future.

Can I just say how much I love my convert? Milsy? She is the coolest convert anyone could ever have. She goes to everything and is so happy and just....amazing. I love her so much! We are BFFs. :)

Well, its been a good week. And another good week is ahead - that's what we pray for. :) I hope you all have a good week too! 

Quote for the week:

"I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach until ALL know, and work until He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ."  That goes along really well with Romans 1:16. :)

Love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Amy Schrader

District Conference Suprizes

Heyy everyone! Family and friends!

We had a District Conference this weekend, and our district, of Playa Ancha, which is not big enough to be a stake, is being condensed to help the growth of our branches! SO - big news. They are taking out a section of our boundaries and putting them with Quebrada Verde! BUT they are adding ALL of Gran Bretaña to Miramar, and renaming it Levarte. So we will have 3 sets of missionaries in our branch! And we went from 5 branches into 3. Because there are 4000 members in Playa Ancha, but only 300 are active. Sad, right? Time to help the vineyard grow, right? So many promises were made to our district, and we know miracles will happen! So excited for this change!

What else.... oh! I lost my camera!!! Well, I didnt lose it. It was stolen from me. As I was getting on the bus, someone unzipped my bag and stole my camera. I was super mad at first, mostly cuz I felt stupid for not noticing when he stole it. But ... there was nothing I could do, apparently it happens to everyone - especially American girls. So. Maybe Ill buy a cheap one for my last 4ish months. :( Idk.  Why do people have to steal? :(

Anyway - big successes with the Solis Castro family! They are progressing like crazy! We watched the Joseph Smith movie and they have a strong testimony. Jocelyn received what we think is an answer, and she told us everything. We are so excited for them! We know they will be baptized! They are too amazing not to!

And.... Cecilia is progressing too! 

Too bad I dont have any more time to write... Im sorry! When I get home Ill be telling my stories for weeks - you're all welcome to my house for storytime. :)

BUT Happy VAlentine's Day! Hope you all had a good one, and that you all have a good week!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Hermana Amy Schrader

Interesting Week

Hello everyone,

FIRST OF ALL - Happy Birthday Mom!!!! Youre the best mom in the world. I love you so much and dont know what i would do without you. I miss your hugs and your comforting words. I cant wait to see you and hug you again! I love so much!

Well, this week was interesting. It had its good moments, but for the most part... well, let's just say it was a low week. First of all, the Broncos lost the Superbowl. haha I wasn't too upset cuz I didnt get to see any of the games and this year I obviously wasn't into it at all. Nobody watches football here. Anyway, my zone leader is a Seahawks fan and he was sooo happy last Monday when he found out. He had fun rubbing it in my face. haha. I honestly didnt mind, especially since it was his birthday!

But back to the mission - some of our investigators have hit some ruts. Manuel, for one, is not progressing at all and doesn't keep his commitments :(  so we probably won't pass by as much. The same with Melissa. We had a lesson with her last night and she has some trouble with the 10 Commandments, and she told us she doesnt feel prepared for baptism. We got to the bottom of it all, and understood. She also was not keeping any commitments and isnt willing to change just yet. But Im sure she'll get baptized in the future. Its just not her time. But we also will be passing by every once in a while.

Veronica and Lydia are... so-so. We are not going to drop them, but we are going to work extra hard for them. They are an amazing family but in some things aren't willing to change either. We will see what happens with them.

We passed by Leticia! She was sad that we hadn't gone to see her in a while (we were surprised she remembered). It was great to see her again, even though nothing has changed.

Alright. Enough of this sad news. Here's the good stuff!

The SOLIS-CASTRO family CAME TO CHURCH! All 3 hours. Jocelyn, Oriana, and Sebastian! They were super calm and listened intently to everything. They were lucky cuz this Sunday, the youth of the branch gave their testimonies on EFY!!! Their testimonies were super powerful and really brought the spirit in Sacrament meeting.

Javier also came! He was super touched by the testimonies of the youth, and really enjoyed the Sacrament meeting. It was great to see him, and it's great to see him progress, even if it's not in the ward he belongs. One day it'll happen, and it will be such a great day! But for now, its fantastic to see him come and listen and feel the spirit.

The Castillo family, who are very less active, came as well! Marcela has been getting more active lately and got called to be a Relief Society teacher! So her husband and children came to support her, and they haven't been in years. So it was awesome! We got to be there for her setting apart.

As I said before, the youth this week went to EFY (in Spanish, PFJ) and all came back with veeery high spirits and stronger testimonies! We went to visit Milsy, who was dead tired from the trip and couldnt stay awake, but she has changed so much. Its such a miracle to see a girl who just got baptized, who went to the temple a week after her baptism, and who went to EFY a couple months later! She is progressing like wildfire, and her testimony is incredible. I am so proud! haha.

Well, as we all know very well, we learn with our trials and become happier when theyre over. I know that it's true - that our trials are for our good, that we progress and become more like Christ when we are faced with difficulty. I am so grateful for the power of prayer, and for the solace of having a best friend there to talk to in every situation.

Let's hope this will be a successful week!

Thank you for all of your prayers, support, and love.

I love you all so much!

Hermana Amy Schrader

"Don't just walk in the light. BE the light."

Cambios Again

Hey everyone!

No time to write this week. But big stuff that happened: There was a fire next to the house we were having a branch mission meeting in. It was crazy! But everyones ok.

Cambios are this Wednesday! Dont know what to expect....we´ll see.

I taught the class this week at our District MEeting on personal revelation. It went super well!

ME and Hna Oliva taught the Relief Society lesson yesterday. Went well too!

Everyone thinks Hna Oliva is leaving... hmm... we will see.

Veronica and Lydia need more time, we continue to work with them, as well as the many other investigators here. I LOVE THEM ALL!

And I love you all too!

I promise Ill write more next week.

Sorry!

Love you,

Hermana Amy Schrader

Lucky Number 13

Hi everyone!
I hope you all had a great week.

Its been suuper sunny here! And hot! But the wind is still goin strong, unfortunately. haha.

Last PDay we went to the Cemetary and got to see the memorial for Omner Pratt, the son of Parley P. Pratt (first missionary in Chile), and Omner died here in Valparaiso. We had a little activity and took pics and read his story. IT was cool! We are the legacy of his missionary work in Chile!

Cambios are next Wednesday, and Im super nervous to hear the changes! I feel like Im gonna stay here but with a new companion. We shall see. Oh, and I passed my 13 month mark yesterday.

Man, we are working so hard with these investigators!!! Melissa was looking promising but lost her fecha cuz she was too tired to go to church. I know she will be baptized in the future, and its all in the Lord's timing. She is amazing and so loving. We of course are continuing to work with her. Lydia came to church on Sunday with her nephew Dilan! Veronica couldnt come cuz she was sick, but they are looking the most promising of all. :) Pray for them! :)

We had an amazing lesson with the Solis-Castro family, and the Spirit was so strong. We taught them the Plan of Salvation, and Jocelyn asked, "If I got baptized in the catholic church, could I still be baptized in yours?" Whereas before, she was suuper against changing. But we explained everything to her, and it actually turns out that she's had a couple dreams that she connects with our visits, and she feels like this is the truth. She is amazing and so spiritual! A very special person. We are so excited to work more with her. Hopefully theyll go to church this week!

We had a cool experience this week when Hna Oliva left her super expensive Americanino coat down in the quebrada (um...like..a valley type trench...i dont know how to explain it. its just super dangerous, ok? :) ) And so we went back when it was getting dark to get it back, but it was gone. Probably in the first 5 minutes of it being there, its so sketchy down there. So we asked around the area but nobody had seen it. Then we talked to this middle aged guy named Juan and asked him, and he put his head down and said, "I know who took it." He told us to go deeper into the quebrada to a guy named Eduardo. Then he saw our faces, and said, "Wait a second, Ill lock up my house and come with." So he came with us to this house that was suuuper flaite (gangster) and sketchy, where a group of gangsters were and asked for the coat. They were very nice and saw that we were missionaries and said, "Eduardo took it, he lives deeper in the quebrada. Ricardo!" Then a little 12 yr old comes out of the house and takes us to Eduardo's house and a guy on the other side of a fence down in the quebrada just throws the coat over the fence, and we walk away. And Juan and Ricardo are angels and Hna Oliva was so grateful! And we are now teaching Juan. haha.

But yeah. Dramatic story, eh?

That was pretty much my week. Quote for today: "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." -Jesus.

We all make mistakes and we all need help. The Church is not for perfect people. Its to perfect the people. :)

Never lose patience! With yourself, and others. :)

Love you all!

Hermana Amy Schrader

Progress!

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had an awesome week this week, cuz I sure did!

We had Zone Conference, and it was INCREDIBLE. All about missionary work and the Atonement and how we all have to go through our own "Gethsemani" to get to Salvation.

We had interviews with President! Man, he is amazing. He gave me a blessing, and I am sooo grateful for him and for the Priesthood.

The news of the week is that Veronica and Lydia, our "fechas" came to church! And they LOVED it! They said its different from any other chruch theyve ever been to. Her granddaughter Monserrat got loose during sacrament meeting and went to sit up on the stand with the Branch President, who gave her some candy, cleaned her mouth with a tissue, and let her sit there with him. So. Adorable.

They are coming back next week and are loving this journey. So am I!

WE met a suuuuper cool inactive named Leo, who is an RM and has like 3 different degrees. He is also a Zumba professor. What a cool guy! In the first 5 minutes of knowing him, he looks at Hna Oliva and says, "You have the face of a Chilean southerner." And then he looked at me and said, "And you're not from Utah." Anyway, no idea how he knew but he's pretty darn cool.

Leticia officially has Alzheimers and we are dropping her, but we will pass by every once in a while. She is such a love!

Javier came to our branch yesterday! Love that guy! (In a very missionary way, dont worry.)

We had another baptismal date for this guy named Manuel, but he didnt come to church so he lost his date. :( His family is a little bit anti mormon.

We got to witness our Elders giving a blessing of health to our less actives - it was so spiritual and amazing, and that family has sooo much faith. its amazing.

Hmmmm thats all I got time for this week! Im sorry! Stay tuned for next week. Its gonna be awesome.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Enjoy your week!

Miss you!

Hermanita Amy Schrader

P.S. My condolences to my Aunt Kim for her father in law, Nelson Brinkerhoff. He is in such a happier place now. :) I love you!

Let the Games Begin - 2014

Heyyyy people!

Happy New Year! It is now 2014! Crazzyyyyy. On New Years Eve we went to have dinner with an investigator family - Solis-Castro! We had dinner and talked and told stories and had a very awesome and very spiritual New Years dinner. And then at 11 we went home to watch the fireworks! But we couldnt see from our window, so we got permission and got on the roof. I ripped my pants on a nail getting up, but hey, it was worth it! There was no ladder to climb up, so we hopped onto the trash can and some abandoned 2x4s and got up there somehow! The view was suuuper awesome and we saw the fireworks! They were AWESOME! They went allll the way up the coast, from Laguna Verde to Playa Ancha to Recreo to Viña to Reñaca to Concón to Quintero! And they went on for half an hour! The end was really nice - the finale. It looked like modern warfare! It was flashing lights and big booms - like a strobe light but with lightning... it was cool. :)

So remember last New Years, when I was in the MTC and my first memories of 2013 were my roommates throwing up? Heyyyy it happened again! I hope we dont start a tradition here. My comp had some kind of stomach flu and those are my first memories of 2014 (besides the fireworks).

We had intercambios this week! It was awesome, cuz I got to be with Hna Zimmerman again! But here in Miramar! Man, that girl is awesome. We had a great time and learned a TON! We also put 2 baptismal dates with Verónica and Lydia of the family Ulloa-Lira. Baptismal date for the 26th! Woo! We also found some suuuper old less actives who are so adorable and say that the door is always open to us. They are getting a blessing of health today for the grandpa's leg.

With my normal comp, Hna Oliva, we also found 6 new investigators, and one of them is named Ninoska. We found her in a miraculous way. We were walking up a street looking for a less active in house number 205. While looking for the house, a girl passed us. And man, we almost contacted her, but we didnt! So then we go ask some neighbors where number 205 was and one said, "i dont know, ask 2 houses down, number 223." So we asked someone else across the street and he said, "Ask across the street - number 223." So we were like, ok. So we are heading toward number 223, and the girl that we had passed earlier enters into number 223! So we stop her and talk to her and it turns out shes like practically golden! haha she is so cool. We are excited to return.

Yesterday we had Branch Council, and since it was fast Sunday and we were all starving, the Branch President brought some chips and cookies for the meeting after church. haha. Awesome. The meeting was really good too! We planned for 2014 and got some new member lists. Jackpot!

Well, this week we have interviews with President Kahnlein in our apartment! Woo! It's gonna be an awesome week. :)

Here is the quote of the week: "Not forgiving is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." Our job as children of God is to forgive EVERYONE, no matter what. The only person that has the right to condemn someone else is God. And its the perfect way to start a new year -  with resolutions to forgive, forget, change, and become better. :)

I love you all! So much! Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Amy Schrader