Week 4 (it´s flying by!!)‏

Dear Everybody,

So I´ve had a great week, but it´s gone by so fast!!  I said goodbye to the second group of missionaries here in the CCM!!  There are presently only 33 people here, but tomorrow we´re getting about 27 more people!  It´s so small, we know everyone!!  

So today my companion and I just went out and bought a bunch of cool things!!  We also got candy, which is awesome!!  We´ve become such good friends it´s so cool!!  

This week we´re transitioning into speaking only Spanish, and it´s honestly really difficult!!  But I´ve learned more in the past 4 weeks then I did all 3 years I took Spanish!!  I can talk to some of the natives... if they talk slow... and they all love missionaries!!  

This week we had some exercises to practice different aspects of missionary work!!  We all go ‘street contacting’ in the halls and just walk up to each other and start inviting them to church and such!  It´s a lot of fun!!  

My comp. and I probably had our best lesson ever yesterday!!  It was so spiritual, and we managed to prepare the lesson perfectly to answer the questions the lady had for us!!  Now of course it´s not real, but we are still glad we have the opportunity to learn like this!!

This next week is the start of a two week celebration for Chilean Independence Day, and so we´re going to the local festival and proselyting for the first time!!  It's going to be so scary, but we´re ready for it!!!

I can´t wait to leave the CCM, but at the same time I love it here!!  I hope everyone is doing well!!  I love you guys!!

Love,

Elder Forsgren

Week 2 - CCM

Dear Everybody,

Here in the MTC (CCM) we have a saying; 'the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days' and that is such a true statement!!  It feels like I just wrote to you all yesterday!!  I just want to say that while that saying sounds like just a fun little quote it is because of God's love for us that it is true!  I mean think about all the stuff you could learn if each day was a week!!  We learn A TON everyday!!  Yet all of it goes by in a snap!  We are given the time to learn, yet the time still flies!!  I love that!!

So last time I sent home mail I said I was rooming with 3 others; well sadly now the two Elders (Elder White and Elder Aurich) are leaving for the field!  It is truly a sad day!  In the two weeks I've known them they have been such amazing role models for me!!  It's weird to think they're my age!!

My companion, Elder Despain, and I have bonded so much it's insane!  I don't think there is anything I wouldn't do for him!!  And he has such a strong testimony! That's another great thing about it here; everyone has so much faith, and a testimony to go with it!!  We have on Elder (Elder Jackson) who has been a member of the church 1 year and 5 months and he has already devoted his life to the Lord for 2 years!!  He has so much faith it touches me everyday!!

So this past week (Friday-Saturday) my district fasted for the whole district and one companionship specifically.  This companionship is made of an American who speaks English and a Brazilian who speaks Portuguese and neither speak Spanish!  They really have it rough!  But immediately after the fast we could see changes in their behavior and confidence!!  It's amazing how much God helps us!!

So in lesser news this week we had our first noticeable Earthquake!!  It was really cool!! And I just can't help but love the people here!!  Today while we were out buying stuff this one girl walks up and asks if we are Mormon missionaries and asked how to get to the church and such!! And another guys told us how impressed he was with how we give up everything for Christ!!  It's so nice here!!

I love you all, and really miss you guys!!

Love,

Elder Forsgren