Things are a little Different

Things have been going pretty good down here. A little different ...the mission is starting to change a little with the system of things. It's made me feel different, I feel that we are starting to lose focus on the people and to only focus on the baptisms. Which I swore a long time ago I would never do. It's made me think a lot more about myself as well and I haven't liked that one bit. But this up coming week we have interviews with our president so I'm really excited to see what he can have to say to me to help me be a better missionary. We were able to find some sweet people this week, We have been working well with members and had three new families presented to us. That's what I love to have confidence from the people to help their loved ones. I have come to love the people here so much, I think it could be a bad thing sometimes because it will be really hard to leave here one day, the people always tell me that times going down. Scary that really sucks I want to be out here for as long as I can I need to get better and change a lot more. haha Its been good though, I think the mission is just going through a change and it's made a lot of us uncomfortable. I went on an intercambio with my Friend Elder Haralson and he has felt the same ever sense the things have been changed up. But I'm trying my best to do what I'm supposed to I just feel a huge need to be better as of late and want to know what more I can do. Sounds like the Chavez curse still lives ... I've been kinda sick the last few days too just like the girls, just a head cold but it hasn't affected the work at all so thats been good! love and miss you all

Love- 
Elder Chavez

We ended the Week Good

Well this last week was pretty good, but kinda hard. We had good fun days with our district and our zone but with this last week being transfers we had to help out a lot and we ended up losing a lot of time. We kinda had to run around all over  the place. I have now officially been to every single area in this zone. I got to go to Melgar this last week which is the area of my good friend Elder Haralson ,my companion from the mtc. I had to go there to help them out with a baptism interview. I forgot to tell you that my district had grown ... in the past it was just my companion and I with two other elders but now we have two more Elder with us. So that makes things a lot more fun. So after a whole week of running around we got to my birthday which was pretty fun. I woke up to some fun phone calls from the members singing to me, and then that night we went out to celebrate. haha one of the familias invited me to dinner, so we ran and ate some hamburgers with them. My one really good friends here. Sister Sandra couldn't do anything on Saturday so we went to her house yesterday and she made me a huge fruit salad. I'll have to send you a picture of it. We ended the week good though. We have a new family they have actually come to church for a long time but haven't wanted to take the discussions from us because they wanted to be ready. So this last week we started to visit them and they are way excited to be baptized, they have a date for the 3 of October so we are working really hard with that. I really want to get lost more, I feel like for a while there I lost some of my vision and started thinking more about me and that was really wrong of me. I hate the fact that I have only ten months left, I want to get better and I don't have the time I need. But I guess that's why I have the lord, to help me with that that I can not do. 

Love-
Elder Chavez

I can still be Joven!

Well this last week was a pretty good one, we were able to do a lot of things. Like I said in the past, my new mission president has established some goals for us that we should try to complete each week. And to be totally honest I think it's cool that we need to be finding new people every day and always inviting people to be baptized,  but at the same time I have felt uncomfortable doing it. I have always worked really well with the members and that's how I have always had success but with this new system working with the members doesn't cut it. So I have really gone out of my comfort zone in the last few weeks, but this last week I started to figure things out a lot better and we were able to have success. We had a baptism which was really cool, it was pretty spiritual, the sister was super happy! She came out of the water and grabbed my hand and looked at me and just said a huge Gracias!!! Haha but I could see it in her,  she felt the change it was an awesome experience. I'm excited for what's in store ... we got our transfers, and I'm staying here in Chicoral with my companion. Haha looks like I'll be in this pueblo (town)  for six months haha but that's sweet I feel like I need to do something more for them still. We have some people who look like they could get baptised in the upcoming weeks. So we'll have to see what happens there. Looks like things are going good at home I'm happy for all of you. Feels weird to be turning twenty but hey it's just a number doesn't mean I can't still be joven (young). Haha!

Picture of the area Mason is currently serving in Chicoral Colombia

Getting Wet Baptism September 5, 2015
Judith

Baptisms in the works!

Things have been going pretty sweet in Chicoral! We have the baptism all set up for this Saturday and then we have cambios (transfers) this next week, so I'm pretty sure I'm headed out because we are starting to progress. Haha just my luck but who knows maybe not. We have been trying really hard to find the chosen people and it has been so hard. haha we have been contacting like crazy and pretty much everyone has told us no. But we were able to find one new girl named Maria Jose.  She is new in Chicoral and her boyfriend from Bogota is a member so she was wanting to get the lessons. But it was sweet we met her at like 8:50 one night this week. I thought the day was going to end with nothing but she came over to a members house ans said hey I'll get baptised. haha She went to church on Sunday and is really excited, she has a date for Izzy's bday the 19th so hopefully we can get her there. This new way of teaching has been really different for me but it's allowing us to see if the people want to progress or no so our numbers are lower but we have real progression!

Things are Looking Up

Well things have been really good as of late, Our mission president has made some new normas or things that we need to be doing daily. Like find 2 new people invite 6 people to baptism every week. So we have been trying really hard to apply that to our lessons and this last week we found more people than I have since I got here, and we can see if they really want to progress when we invite them to baptism. We have one baptism that looks pretty for sure the 5 of September. the week before my birthday. haha almost 20 how crazy!!!  But her name is Judith and she is an old grandma who lives alone with another older grandma. haha All she has to do is come to church one more time and she set, she always tells us how excited she is for her baptism so I think we are going good with her. I'm doing pretty good, just trying to get things going really good in my area, I have the feeling that I'm probably headed out of here in two week so I want to leave the area perfect for my new companion so he can help out all the people we´ll leave behind. Kinda like I did in Nevia. Remember that family that I worked with for a way long time in Nevia but could never get them married. Well they got married and baptised two weeks ago and I got to talk with them this last week it was pretty awesome! they are now trying to get to the temple, so that was some pretty awesome news. I love you all so much.

Love-
Elder Chavez

A Few Weeks Behind on Posts

My area Chicoral went into its yearly parties for the weekend it was like a huge festival and it was way cool to see but absolutely destroyed the work. So it was a really slow week. I think it was the lowest amount of lessons I have ever taught in one week. Well since I had that chinkanguña thing or what ever it was But it was still a really awesome week, I got to do anintercambio with the zone leaders and that was pretty sweet because it was with one of my friends from the MTC and then on Friday I had a meeting all day with my mission president in a city called Ibague. I was there so long the meeting ended at 11:30 so I stayed the night there and got soo cold. ha ha because it's not the hot lands well technically it is but a lot colder than my area. hahah My new companion is named Elder Gutierrez. he is from Peru and it's really cool he started the mission with my first son Elder Galleguillo, So he only has like 4 months in the mission but is full of energy to work. Which has been a huge blessing the last few days. I have to say it was pretty sad to talk with some of the members this last week because there were a lot of them that told me it was a good thing that Elder Condori left that he wasn't a good missionary and that they thought he was really disobedient. It was all pretty true  but I felt bad that things went so far that they actually saw that I just hope he can figure things out in his life so that he can leave a lot better impact on the people here of Colombia. love you all!

Love-
Elder Chavez

Finally a Change

Well my companion has been changed! This morning we got a call from the zone leader and he got emergency transferred to Bogota. Haha I guess that challenge has passed me by for now. To be totally honest I feel kinda weird ... he just left and there was honestly like no feelings to me.  I just told him I hope he can be good and have the mission that he came here to have.  I hope I handled it all good, I just hope it goes better with my new companion. And that Elder Condori can do better with his. I really just want to work and that was the hardest part we were so separated that the work was almost impossible to get done. I just want to help this branch I'm  going to be here or at least four and a half months and I want to make a difference. I want to get even more lost, But it has been hard because everything was so personal with Elder Condori we could never talk about the investigators because we had our own huge problem. Haha But we actually have  someone who is progressing her name is Judith, she has the desire to be baptised but some members told us that she has come to the church in the past to look for ways to get help financially. So we'll have to see how things are going. That family that we were helping to get married totally fell apart... but I know there are people out there prepared and that the Lord is teaching me a huge lesson here for my life!

Love-
Elder Chavez

Especially my Eyes

Things were hard yet again this week, Actually pretty funny with some stuff that happened. In our companionship inventory, my companion just was not participating, and I asked him what does he need to be able to work? And he told me a new companion. So I called the zone leaders and he talked to them and they just happed to be with our mission president, so our president had a talk with us and told us we need to make plans and goals to make things better. So when we got of the phone with him, I tried to make goals and my companion told me that he just doesn't like me, expecially my eyes that he doesn't want to work with me, that everything about me he just doesn't like. So I asked him what I can do better and he said nothing, just that he wants a new companion. So that's how the week has been he pretty much has just been following me around place to place while I've been teaching. My president knows everything so don't think that he is not doing his job, i just know that there is something more that I need or my companion needs in this. I dont know if well stay together all transfer but hey it can only go up right?? haha I'm really excited for this week though because I can start doing some exchanges to help out the other elders in the district. There are only four of us and I'm the oldest one the next closest to me have four months so they have all been kinda lost in their areas. So I'm going over there to help them out. I love you all. 

Love,
Elder Chavez

Many Blessings

Well we had combios yesterday, well technically today ... and I found out what I will be doing for the next six weeks. Well ... I'm staying in Chicoral and with my companion!!! I was pretty sure that we were going to get a change, He has drove me up the wall as you have all seen but, I have been given many blessings in the last week. I have started to see the Lords hands playing a bigger part in my own personal life, I have started to lose myself more than ever. Today when they called with the new I was hoping for a change and I did get one! I have been called to be a district leader again! And I honestly have felt so good all day. I know the Lord is giving me another chance to help my companion in this transfer and me to help the other Elders out. I'm getting really excited for this transfer I hope and pray that I can be guided to help then with their needs. It's going to be fun!

Love-
Elder Chavez