Our Efforts to Do Something Great

Hermana de lluvia <3

OhhhhhK let me tell you about JP. JP was an antiguo investigador who we re-contacted during my first few weeks here in Las Condes. He's really great but he lives something Hermana Briggs and I have named 'the buffet life', meaning he just kinda floats from church to church, taking the things he likes, leaving the things he doesn't like and moving on. The other day we taught him the word of wisdom. That is one of the things he has decided he does not like and he hasn't been very interested since then. Rewind, since the week we met him, we have been inviting him to come to church and every week he doesn't come. Fast forward, this week we have zero contact with him and he calls us de la nada and says he's comin' to church and to save him a seat. He came, stayed all three hours, made lots of friends, and loved how he felt there. YEAH JP! He's a wild card! Stay tuned to see what happens this week!!!

This was a little bit of a tough week actually. Nobody really wanted to listen to us. Also it gets dark by 5:30 or 6 and when it gets dark, the people go to bed. What they forget is that the missionaries still have 4 hours left to get their rears in gear and share the gospel, but that's a tough thing when there's nobody to teach! Todo bien, we're finding the way.

BUT, there are a few really bright little spots in kinda a cloudy week:

°°one is that today it is raining for the first time since August and I am a little bundle of JOY. You already know we went puddle jumping. I LOVE THE RAIN!!!

°°Jessica! Jessica has a pretty hard life and has lost a lot of loved ones lately. We found her the other day as we were walking kinda fast to get to an appointment. When we saw her, we said "Hola!" and kept on walking. After about 30 seconds I stopped and said, "Woah, we have to go contact her!" So we went back and shared a message with her about eternal families.  We felt strongly that we needed to contact her by talking about the temple and how families can be eternal. She teared up and told us about her son-in-law who died recently and left his wife and two children fatherless. She said what we shared with her was the best news she has heard in a long time. She asked us to teach her how to pray because she had only ever been taught how to resar (honestly don't know what that is in english, but it's the memorized catholic prayers that they do I guess) and she wanted to know how to have meaningful communication with God. It was a really powerful lesson and exactly what she needed to hear. She found so much comfort and wants to learn more, and we almost missed it because we were in a rush! I was reminded of just how much the Spirit can guide us if we are worthy and open and sensitive to His promptings! 

°°another little ray of sunshine is that we have been praying praying praying for a less-active family who is trying to get back on their feet and come back to church. In their efforts to do something great, they have seen so many trials, but also so many miracles. The mom was cleared of brain cancer, the dad was able to talk to and reconcile with his estranged father before he passed away, and they have a goal to be sealed some day as a family in the temple. 

I am learning (again) that amazing things happen when we show God that we want to keep his commandments and follow the Savior. I have seen it many times throughout my life and here on my mission, but it amazes me each time, all the blessings that await each one of us when we make the changes necessary para acercarnos a Dios y hacer las cosas que Él nos pide. Es increible, de verdad.

Y'all did not take my challenge to share the gospel and report back very seriously. Only cute Mom and cute Sister Carolyn Scott shared with me their experiences. OTRA VEZ! Get out there and share the things that you believe! Love y'all! Hope you're happy and smiling. Besitos!!!

Love, 

Hermana Siebach

Remember how I said I bought watercolors?!
We found a good way to use them en la obra misional!

La zona Las Condes!​

Asombro Me Da (I Stand All Amazed)

Hola Amigos!!

What an amazing week!!! Hot diggity dog!

Here are some of the reasons why our week was so great:

- Inés y Marcos are a cute little 80 year old couple that we have been teaching. Inés is interested but hesitant because her family has always made fun of her for being religious. We were unable to find them for a whole week and we were a little bummed. Yesterday we went and knocked on their door, just hoping they would be there this time. Not even 30 seconds passed and they pulled up into the driveway from a week long trip to the south of Chile. Talk about being in the right place at the right time, eh?!?! They invited us in and we helped them prepare once (it's kinda like a little dinner snack) and we were able to share with their entire family!! Inés and Marcos' kids think the message we share is really great and we are going to go back and teach them all! Que Bueno!!

- We went to visit Avion and Alicia. Alicia came to the door and said that she was overwhelmed with all the things that she had to do and couldn't recieve us. We offered to help and just kinda walked in and started cleaning and organizing her kitchen for her. She was so grateful and we were able to share with her and Avion the loving plan that God has for each one of us. 

- I got news that Elsa is getting baptized!!!!! She's one of my very first investigators from Javiera Carrera and she was so stinkin' hard to meet with!!! But I'm so glad to hear that she made time for the missionaries and the Gospel of Jesus Christ in her life!

- I saw Javier (new member!) at a fireside on Sunday and he's doing great!! He goes to the temple multiple times a week and is pressuring the bishop to give him a calling hahahaha!

- You asked about exchanges: I've been on lots!! As hermana capacitadoras we have intercambios with every companionship from our zone every transfer. This transfer we have already had two and we have another one coming up this Friday! They're great and I love love love working with and learning from other hermanas. I'm supposed to be helping them, but so many times I think they help me more. It's really so great. Something awesome is that the hermanas entrenadoras (they are the hermana companionship that are like the equivalent of assistants to the pres), are in our zone and we have been able to help them with a lot of things during our exchanges. It's been really humbling and interesting to see that even the hermanas that everyone sees as *perfect* are working through things as well, and that we have had the opportunity to be there to support them. 

- Hermana Briggs and I sang Asombro Me Da (I Stand All Amazed) in sacrament meeting this last week, and so many people were crying by the end. Not because we sang it beautifully, but because the words are so powerful. Cuan asombroso es que por amarme asi, muriera el por mi. I'm so grateful for my Savior. Through him, anything is possible.

I love y'all! I hope you're having a great time and looking for all the little opportunities to share your testimony! Tell me about it, I wanna know...but actually! This is a real challenge - I'm gonna ask y'all next week how it went :)

LUB! Hermana Siebach

Three generation photo 😮

Here's a gorgeous rendition of Asombro Me Da

(I Stand All Amazed)

A Be-Bop Badoodlin Week

Buenas!! 

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful mom! I am so so grateful for you. You are a light in my life and I love you like LOCO. Your mother's day experience sounds like a dream: a happy picnic with a happy dad. So awesome! I'm sorry that we couldn't all be there to snuggle you and shower you with kisses. NEXT YEAR!

That's so so crazy about all the Texas missionaries going out! SO MANY!! Southlake is just puttin' them out there!! When members here hear that Hermana Briggs is from Utah they say, "Ah...de la fabrica!" which is like saying, 'Oh, she comes from the factory!' Little do they know that Southlake, Texas is a close second, hehehehe!!

This was a bee bop badoodlin week! In other words it was great! it was crazy because I was really sick and then I accidentally got Hermana Briggs really sick and we were pretty rough there for a few days but we got SO MUCH DONE! 

Last Sunday an hermano from the ward was walking home from church and saw a couple in the street and felt like he should talk to them. They said they had just moved here from Venezuela and that they were looking for a church. The hermano said, "Well hey, have you heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints?" They had not, so he explained a little bit and said he would send the missionaries by (us heheh) to tell them more about it. And that is how we met Valeska and Franklin and their cute little baby Francesca. The cutest family. Just waiting to receive the gospel. We are teaching them and it is super duper! They love what they are learning and want to meet with us every day!

I love being a missionary, I love talking about the things that I know are true, I love the cute little people of Chile, I love my Savior and am so incredibly grateful for all that he has done and is doing for me. I have really come to love repentance; I encourage y'all to do it every day if you're not already. In this way we can feel God's presence more strongly in our lives and be more sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit. Pretty awesome, eh? God is so loving and merciful. 

I really like what you said, Dad, that when we are close with the Lord, there isn't really room to feel lonely! I have been really blessed here in the mission because I feel his presence so much and I haven't really felt homesick at all. Just bien focused on this wonderful work! It's a real tender mercy and I think a blessing that comes with obedience and diligence.

I love y'all! Have a wonderful week! Say happy birthday to Scout for me!!! I hope you're all happy and smiling and sharing happy little thoughts with your friends!! 

Besitos!

Love, Hermana Siebach

Mother's Day photo from Gloria--week two!!

Happy lil' comp picture💛

Was feeling stressed so I bought watercolors and now
sometimes I paint at nighttime or on p days:)

Dreamin' of Moab😎

Pobrecita!

Hi! Today I'm sick, I think maybe with the flu and I kinda feel like dying so pray for me if you wanna!! 

I read 1 Nefi 7 & 8 last night and came away wondering how someone can be so faithless when they are given so much evidence. It really shows me that miracles and seeing angels are not what converts a person. It's applying the daily little things, like scripture reading, being nice, saying your prayers, serving others, recognizing the Lord's hand, progressing everyday, and so many other things. It amazes me how Nefi and Laman and Lemuel went through basically all the same things, but their perspectives are so incredibly different. Which perspective and beliefs are we gonna choose?!?!? That's the question!!!

Sorry this is so short! Long line at the computers today and glitchy wifi. 

I love you!!
Hermana Siebach

Cousin Gloria dropped off a package for Grace while visiting
her family in Santiago. Thank you Gloria!!

Some of the orange trees surrounding the chapel in Las Condes

And she happened to go to the SAME WARD where Grace is serving! Wha????

Moving Mountains

Hola Amigos!!

Something that I don't think I understood very well before my mission is just how much power faith has. Unwavering faith, specifically. James 1: 5-6 says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." if we ask in faith, without doubting that, oh maybe he won't answer me, he WILL answer us. We underestimate the power of our faith!!! Something that the Chilenos (and maybe everyone, I don't remember) love to say is that faith moves mountains. But we forget that that is actually true! We see in the scriptures and in modern day that MIRACLES happen because of faith. In Ether, the Brother of Jared sees the finger of the Lord because of his great faith. I can guarantee that when he went to ask the Lord to touch the stones and give them light, he had full faith that the Lord could do it. We can do the same!! God is all powerful, he can do anything if we have unwavering faith in him. 

This is something that I have been working on and am going to continue to work on, because I know that God can fulfill all of his promises, we just need to have faith and do our part. I've already seen the difference that it is making in my life and the lives of people that I have met here and it is miraculous. 

I love how much I have grown in my faith here and I want it to continue every day for the rest of my life.

i love yall! besitos!! Que tengan una buena semana!!!!

Love, Hermana Siebach

see that stuff glistening in the moonlight? thats birdpoop:(
one of the 3 places where they GOT ME. so rude