Monday, February 29, 2016

Feb. 29, 2016 Happy leap year! And a happy birthday to Chase! Big 20!!!





My new trio

The hills in my new area!


Our meeting house.

My beautiful new area.


A P-day hike in my new area.

A ward priesthood activity (hike)

Our ward mission leader.  One of two who showed up for the activity.

What does this actually say?

A beautiful summer day in Chile!

Look what we found in our apartment!!

A closeup!


Hey guys. So this week has been a super crazy one. I feel like literally a million things have happened. First off, I got to my new sector Lirquén which is right next to Penco. Its GORGEOUS!! I will send some pics of the ocean and the hills. It literally reminds me so much of my first sector because of all the hills. If I finish the mission here, I will be returning home in such good shape. Not to mention the fact that my comp Elder LeCheminant is 6 foot 4 and his legs are twice as long as mine, so we walk super fast. Anyways, things are different getting used to a trio again. Its kind of awkward in the contacts, and teaching lessons, and walking down the narrow sidewalk.... someone always gets left behind. Its also kind of a difficult change for me, because I spent the last 7 months being the person in charge. My comps were new and so I sort of just made all the decisions, and always took the initiative in everything. And now I feel like I have become junior companion with Elder Fuentealba. ha its weird. 1 because I don't know the sector at all, or the people, but I am just not used to being dragged around places and everything, and so its sort of a hard change. But its all good, Im sure there are lots of things Heavenly Father wants me to learn here.

ummm.... its funny because Elder Fuentealba is chilean, and was born in Talcahuano. And has lived in Antofogasts, and Santiago (where he did his mission papers) then moved to Brazil, where the missionary call got to him, and sent him back to right where he was born. And turns out that he actually has a bunch of cousins and aunts and uncles in Lirquén. And the fact that half the members are related here, it means he is family to half the ward basically hahaha. Also his grandma lives in Talcahuano and came to our church yesterday with her grand daughter my comps sister to visit and drop him off a package of candy and stuff haha.... small world right?

Also we had an amazing special training meeting with Elder Bednar and his wife, and the area presidency and their wives. It was basically a 3 hour question and answer thing with them all. It was incredible! They were all in Buenos Aires, Argentina. But they broadcasted it to over 6,000 missionaries in the area (Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay or 1 other country im not sure). And I learned a ton, Elder Bednar is seriously the most incredibly capable teacher I have ever seen in my life. And right now one of my favorite apostles! haha :)

Yeah let me tell a super quick story about my first lunch here. Tuesday we had to go to the training in the morning, and then to Chillán in the afternoon for a medical appointment of Elder Fuentealba. We got back from penco to our house, and the bus dropped us off at the top of this massive hill where we picked up our lunch (because the lady lives alone) so we brought it back to our house. The thing is that we were in our suits from the meeting, and in a big rush to get home and off to Chillán. So Elder LeCheminant starts talking us through the "short cut" to get home, which consists in the equivalent of hiking down Timpanogos through trees and bushes, on little deer trails, in your suit and tie, and dress shoes... hahaha and so like 20 minutes later we get home, and open the lunch and to our disappointment... it was rice and fish :( ahahah So we then hustled off to the bus terminal and it was a miracle that we boarded the bus right as it was leaving the terminal, and rode an hour and a half to Chillán, and had to wait another 2 hours in the doctors office. Anyways.... this week has been full of adventures like that!

Without boring you guys too much, just know that I am doing well. And had a super great birthday, President and Sister Arrington called me to wish me a happy birthday, and a super super sweet lady from my old ward called me through a young man (that she knows) on his cell phone to wish me a happy birthday!

anyways, have a great week, and let me know whats up in Alpine :)

con amor,
elder hartvigsen

Feb. 22, 2016 Transfer day has arrived!

Fernando who served his mission in Argentina


Our Bishop who is super young and great!


Hey everyone,

so FINALLY..... after 7 months of being in Hualpén I am getting transfered to Lirquén (the names actually kind of rhyme haha) Anyways, Im pretty excited. Lirquén is like directly across the bay from my first sector in Talcahuano Centro. So I think its going to be VERY similar, because of the harbor, the ocean view, (maybe smelling like fish), and lots of hills!

The strange thing is that I am going to be in a trio. AGAIN! With Elder Fuentealba (Elder Seller´s son) who is Chilean and has about 7 months in the mission, and Elder LeCheminant who is from Utah who has about 5 months in the mission. And I am going to still be District Leader. So thats the big news of the transfers. Im sad to leave all the people that I learned to love so much, and I have so many memories in Cerro Verde, because I was there for 18 Sept (independance day) Halloween, Christmas, New Years, and a million other little things. ha.

This week we had a fun ward activity that was "remembering the returned missionaries" and there are 12 RM´s in this ward, and so we invited them all. And with a clear demonstration of this wards commitment level to the church, only 3 came. (The bishop, the gospel doctrine teacher, and this kid that got back last year) I will send pictures. And each week there are bout 80 people that go to church in this ward.... and only 10 people went to the activity. Which was pretty pathetic, but you gotta keep your perspectives right. Because there were 2 youth there, and if they felt the spirit, and it helped motivate them a little bit more for the mission, or frankly, if someone was touched by the spirit and left a better person than they were the activity was a success. We watched the mormon message of Sid going who left rugby to go on a mission, and it was a really great night. I will send pics of that!

Other than that, not much has happened. I will be excited to take you guys around to visit all of these great sectors that I have been in when you come. As for you.... keep reading the scriptures daily, and praying for missionary experiences. Because I know that even living in Alpine, UT there are people that need to hear the gospel from you guys :)

con mucho amor,
Elder Hartvigsen

Monday, February 15, 2016

Feb. 15, 2016 The gospel changes lives



Why does Chase have a Lord of the Rings Backpack?

Hugo and me! A great day!

Elvira, Santos, Hugo, Me, Nelson, Hermano Sepulveda, Elder Soliz


Hey guys, yeah sorry for not writing a big letter last week. I sort of got caught up in responding to your individual letters, and kind of forgot. But not too much happened... haha so let me tell you what happened this week. The most exciting this, is that we had a baptism!! Our Investigator Hugo got baptized on Saturday. I don't know if I have told you anything about him yet, but he is like 65 years old. And rents a bedroom behind the house of one of the members. And the missionaries were teaching him like last year, and he almost got baptized but relapsed in his addiction to alcohol, and began drinking again. And ever since I got here almost 7 months ago I met him, and he seemed to sort of be the typical drunk guy you see on the street. So I didn't really think anything about him. Also he was in such bad shape, that he couldn't walk on his own, nor could he even talk. He just slurred all his words together constantly that you couldn't really even understand him.

And we had been visiting the member  lady Elvira that is the one that rents him part of her house. We actually did a service there one time, and she is the lady that gave us a plate of seafood. haha. remember her? Yeah, so like a month and a half ago (right when my comp elder Soliz got to the area) Elvira told us that Hugo wanted to go to church again. So we arranged to go pick him up with a members car. We showed up and he decided that he didn't want to go, because he had a little problem with someone. Anyways we went back the following week, and ever since that first day that we went to church he has been progressing incredibly well. After a couple lessons we taught the word of wisdom, and told him that he needed to stop drinking alcohol, coffee, and tea, and he agreed, and gave us all the tea and coffee that he had in the house. And we went and gave it to this guy in the street who was digging through the dumpster :) haha And the coolest part about it, is that ever day we go by there is countenance changes a little bit, and he looks so much better. He walks better, he talks so much better, and we are 100,000% sure that its because he has been living the commandments (the word of wisdom especially.... which in Doctrine and covenants 89 states the very specific blessings that come to those who live this commandment.)

So it has been a really cool experience to see this HUGE change in Hugo`s life! And I think that is part of the reason I stayed in this sector for SO LONG.... to be able to see first hand the drastic changes that the gospel can cause in the lives of people. Something that I have wanted to see my whole mission, and now I just gotta keep teaching the rest of Chile so everyone can experience the same thing! haha :)

Anyways, next week is transfer day so I think I will be headed out of Hualpèn. But I will let you guys know about the details when I find out! 

and something randomly COOL that I learned in the scriptures this week... that isn't entirely necessary for our salvation, but still very cool. Is that Nephi in the year 590 (B.C.) approx. saw in vision Christopher Colombus come to America and discover the promised land. yeah I already knew that... but then he saw the revolutionary war as well (1 Nephi13:17). cool right??? and it talks about the europeans being white and beautiful, that came to take over the land. And all this happened according to gods chosen timing, because The Lord says in 2 Nephi 1:1-11 that  the people that live in that land (the nephites, lamanites etc.) will prosper if they serve god, and keep his commandments.... but when the day comes that they fall into transgression and unbelief, the lord will bring other nations to that land the take it away from them! THAT WAS US! compare those 2 scriptures and study the chapters they are dang cool :)

Love you tons, and have a great week.

Un abrazo,
Elder Hartvigsen