Week 8 - Power of Members

written: 2/22/2021

Week 8

This week was one of the fastest weeks of my life. Every time I look at my watch hours have passed. The time goes by fastest when we are busy and working, so it is great to see that good things happen when I'm focused. I can't remember if I mentioned it last week, but I have been working virtual with my companion as he waits for my quarantine. To my surprise, last Monday he told me he was coming to our house on Tuesday and I was so excited but we already have 3 people living in this small house and of course we're in quarantine. He arrived with his things and food for us on Tuesday and it's been awesome. We've been able to get a lot more work done than if we were virtual companions and we've just made the living conditions work. The hardest thing getting adjusted to is the eating schedule. We have a light breakfast and then some lunch around 12 or 1 and then we usually don't eat until 10 or 1030 at night. We are busy working until 930 and then usually have phone calls or meetings every night with district or zone leaders. 

This week has really been awesome though. Although we haven't had much success in the number of our lessons, the few people we have taught have been amazing. We had an amiga in teaching and we had taught her last week and had another lesson with her two days ago. We prepared and practiced a bunch and changed our lesson plan to include questions to make sure she understood the doctrine and we also really shortened the points to make sure she wasn't overwhelmed. We thought things were going great until I started testifying about prophets and the reason we have a prophet here on the Earth today. In the middle of my sentence, she hung up. We were 20 min into the lesson and I just looked over at Elder Calderon and said "did I do something wrong?" It was a hard reality but I know that what I was testifying of was true and it just wasn't the time for her. Apparently in the past prophets have been a bit of a sore subject for her so it is also a lesson in making sure I know about the doubts of other people before we teach or figure them out to better help them. I know rejection will happen and I know that eventually things will work out. 

For the best experience of the week, it involved an amazing member in Chiloé. We were teaching a new amigo in teaching and this was an amigo we had found while I was sending voice messages to lots of people. We taught the first lesson and it was super powerful. Afterwards, we consulted with our amazing misio-member (our mission president's goal and vision for missionary work revolves around having a member present at our lessons and for a relationship to hopefully develop between the members and amigos in teaching) he told us he wanted us to call him tomorrow for some advice. We didn't think much about it other than that was a really nice gesture. As we were logging into the zoom, I realized it was a Friday night and that he could be doing any number of things but is choosing to help us. We logged on and he had prepared a whole presentation for us and explained to us how we could better teach our lessons. After his presentation, he was explaining how important our work was. I could see in his eyes and feel his words piercing me at how powerful they were. The biggest thing he said was "it is a PRIVILEGE to speak to you and spend time with you elders." This is a man who could be doing anything on friday night and he is telling us it is a privilege to spend this time with us and take time to help our work improve. He also offered to make graphics and practice even more lessons with him. It is just one of so many examples I have already seen here in Chile of the amazingness and power these members have inside them. Members are so important to missionary work, and not just here, all over the world! Missionaries + members are such a strong combination. I truly know that this is where I'm supposed to be and that these members have such a genuine love for this gospel it is truly amazing to see and feel. 

If I haven't already introduced my companion, his name is Elder Calderon and he is from Peru! We work very well together! Something I've actually loved is helping him with his pronunciation and we always laugh when neither of us understand each other if I say something in English or he says something in Spanish. He is a great trainer and I'm excited for the work we will do. Also, my Spanish is coming along everyday! I still have trouble formulating my thoughts into good sentences, but I understand more everyday and I can usually tell Elder Calderon what the main ideas were and if I didn't understand anything. I'm excited to continue learning and understanding more and I know if I keep working hard, I will see the results. 

One quick note, there are a decent amount of Haitians here. We have been in contact with a few and we had a few video calls with them. If all goes well, we might actually be reading the Book of Mormon in Creole and I have no idea how to feel about that but just that it's awesome. 

Lastly, hopefully we get to go to Chiloé tomorrow, as quarantine is finally over! Almost all the people we've taught and the members I've talked to on the phone can't wait to meet us in person and I'm so excited to get to that beautiful island and get even more invested in their culture and feel their love. 

Love, Elder Collin Steele

pictures include: Elder Calderon and Me; Puerto Montt; Elder Abegglen and Me; Elder Bastidas, Elder Sollis, Me, Elder Abegglen, Elder Wonnacott, Elder Risi; and Ahhh, mate!

Week 7 - Español Rápido

 written: 2/15/2021

Week 7

Hola everyone!!!

I am safe and alive in Chile! I am on Day 4 of quarantine but that has not stopped us from working! 

First, my journey to Chile was incredibly long and tiring. It started at 9am on Thursday when I was dropped off at the airport by my parents. I then had a flight to Atlanta, small layover to get some food, flight to Santiago, very long layover, arrival in Osorno, then a 1+ hour car ride to get to my area. All in all, it was over 30 hours total. The worst part about it all was probably once we arrived in Santiago, we got off the plane and immediately joined a line that we had no idea what it was. Turns out, it was for the health screening, and we were in that line for 3 1/2 hours with no air and so many people in line. However, thankfully most of the Osorno missionaries were grouped together and we were able to talk and get to know each other and it made the time after as we waited for our flight to Osorno go by much faster. 

Now to explain my current living situation: we arrived to our house on Friday in Puerto Montt and to our surprise, 4 new missionaries including me were told this is where we were staying and there were 2 trainers. We are living as neighbors in the 2nd floor of a home where a member lives on the 1st floor. One part of the house is 2 new missionaries and a trainer, as one missionary is waiting the arrival of his trainer from the US, and I am living in the other side with 2 other elders. Due to quarantine rules, I was unable to go to my assigned area until I complete my 10 day quarantine. However, once quarantine ends I am going to an ISLAND! I have to take a 2 hour boat ride next week and I get to go to a place called Chiloe. I am so excited to serve those people and I have already met members and amigos in Chiloe and I love them already. 

I just want to share a cool experience I had. We were on a video call (I have to call my companion in Chiloe everyday to do missionary work, we are on the phone for almost the entire day) with amigos (people we are teaching) and they speak incredibly fast Spanish, Chiloe is known to be even faster than typical chilean Spanish which is already fast. To my surprise, I actually understood what they were saying, until they both started talking at the exact same time haha. They had to go and only could talk for a little but I was so surprised at how much I understood. After the call, I told my companion I felt like I knew them for forever and I loved them. I told him our goal is to baptize them when we are in Chiloe and I can already see I want them to received the wonderful gift of the gospel. I cant wait to serve these people and I know that little by little I will continue to understand Spanish and be able to effectively communicate. I can do all things in Christ.

I am loving everything Chile has to offer and although at times I feel discouraged and sad and overwhelmed due to all the newness of everything, I just continue to work and pray and trust it with all work out, and it has and I know it will continue. I cant wait to share my experiences with all of you and I am so excited to see the amazing things that are going to happen!

Love you all! CHAO!!!!

Love, Elder Collin Steele

Week 6 - When you Trust in the Lord, Everything Works Out

written: 2/10/2021

Week 6

I don't know if all of you know, but I got my flight plans last week! I am going straight to Chile, no reassignment! I fly out tomorrow, and begin my journey in SLC, then to Atlanta, then to Santiago, and then one more flight to get to Osorno. It is going to be over 24+ hours for my entire journey to Osorno, but it will be so worth it. I am flying with 11 or 12 other missionaries to Osorno, so we have a pretty decent sized group. 

I completed my online MTC on Monday and it was an amazing experience. It feels like just yesterday I was stressing trying to memorize Moroni 10:5 in Spanish and worrying about how I am going to get through this and when it was finally time to say goodbye, I wanted to stay and keep learning and being with my amazing district and teachers. We did a survey that asked us how our online MTC was and one of the last questions was along the lines of "if there were no health risks, how would you have liked your training" and to my surprise, I instantly selected all online. I loved online MTC and would not have wanted it any other way. It was amazing to feel so close to my teachers and district over zoom, I was able to spend so much time with my family at home, and I still learned a good amount of Spanish. Another blessing of being at home was I was able to celebrate my birthday with my family and it is crazy to think I will only be celebrating one birthday in the field. 

I am so glad I followed my promptings and that I am here serving a mission and about to go preach the gospel to so many people in Chile. The biggest lesson I have learned, as you can see from the subject of this email, is to trust in the Lord. I was very worried about online MTC and serving during the coronavirus, and that was one of the main reasons I decided not to go this past summer. I see now that by trusting in the Lord, everything worked out. I actually loved online MTC when I thought I would hate it, I see the need for missionaries during this time, and I have practiced some of the work I will be doing in Chile, such as teaching lessons over zoom, Facebook messaging, etc, and I love it all and time flies because I get so into the lessons and interactions and I know it will be even better when it is real people with real needs that I want to help get closer to God. I think I told a few people this over text as they wished me a happy birthday, but my recipe for success is to just be positive, be obedient, and trust in the Lord. I have seen the difference a positive mindset can have and I know that even when things get difficult and if I have a positive attitude, I can get through anything. I have been told countless times to be obedient and that obedience brings blessings and exact obedience brings miracles. I want those miracles and I want exact obedience, so that is what I am striving to do as I immerse myself in Chile!

I know that if we put our trust in the Lord, things will work out. I know that this is the path I am supposed to be on and that there is nothing else I would rather be doing. I am so excited and ready to get to Chile and serve the people there and give it my all. Things will get tough, I will have bad days, bad weeks, but in the end, there is a positive in every day and trials build faith. I hope to tell all of you how amazing Chile is next week in my email and I can't wait to share my experiences with all of you these next two years! Adios from the great USA!

Love, Elder Steele

pictures include: Our final day as a Home MTC District

Week 5 - Perspective is Everything

written: 2/3/2021

Week 5

It is crazy to think that I am on my last week of at-home MTC, it seems like just yesterday I was stressing out on memorizing Moroni 10:5 in Spanish, which looking back on it I kind of just laugh a little. I have definitely grown a lot, and I am really looking forward to getting out into the field. This past Sunday I had the opportunity to have a short video call with my mission president in Osorno and his wife. Their goal and hope is that I will be among a group of Americans arriving in Chile at the end of next week! The COVID rules in Chile are currently pretty strict, but I would love to be there in any condition. My mission president's goal is to hopefully assign me to a Chilean trainer, which would definitely force me to be all in on Spanish, but thankfully accelerate my language training even more than I am now in the MTC. I am hopeful and ready to go anywhere, I just want to get out there and put my learning into real practice.

As the MTC winds down, our classes are beginning to almost be exclusively grammar and practice lessons with our teachers as investigators. My companion and I at first struggled to get a lesson plan together and felt we were all over the place when we first did these practice lessons. As we have continued to practice, we have grown every single lesson. Recently, we taught both our morning teacher and afternoon teacher the plan of salvation. Both have different "profiles" and we formed the lesson around their needs, but the plan of salvation is such an important lesson. Neither of us wanted to mess it up because we know the power and influence it can have. As we were planning our lesson for the afternoon, I told Elder Peterson we should invite our interested person to be baptized after our lesson. He seemed a little unsure but agreed. After we had taught our lesson and were wrapping up, the Spirit continued to tell me it was the right idea. We extended the invitation and she hesitated and said she didn't know. We both testified of the importance of baptism and told her to ponder and pray about it and we will revisit it next lesson. After we wrapped up and she was back to being our teacher, she told us how powerful it was, and if we had asked her again after we both testified, she would've said yes. The reason I tell this experience is that it was such a joy and I felt so happy to extend a baptismal invitation to my teacher, I can't even begin to imagine how great it will feel when I offer this same baptismal invitation to someone in Chile and they accept. I look forward to teaching these lessons to interested people in Chile and I can't wait to see the lives I touch.

Lastly, I was watching our weekly missionary devotional and the speaker asked "What will you remember 2020 as?" 

I'm sure most can remember how I would've answered that question a few months ago, as I had decided not to serve a mission due to COVID-19 and I would have said 2020 was awful because it prevented me from going on a mission. 

As I am wrapping up at home MTC, my thoughts on 2020 have changed dramatically. I now think about 2020 as one of my favorite years. It allowed me to spend time with family that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten. I was able to find a new passion in sports cards that I know I will love for a very long time. I was able to spend another semester at the end of 2020 at BYU-I, where I grew in so many ways, learned how to cook (thanks Hyrum), and truly found myself. All of this led to the greatest aspect of 2020, my personal decision to serve a mission. I will remember 2020 as a monumental year, one that shaped my life for the better and will positively impact my life for eternity. I am thankful for my changed and eternal perspective. 

I love all of you! I look forward to continuing to share my experiences with all of you. Yo se que Dios es nuestro amoroso padre celestial y el evangelio es verdadero. 

pictures include: My last HURRAH with my great companion, CHIEF! (For those that don't know, my amazing grandpa has taken me to lunch and anywhere I needed to go on my p-days while I have been training! He's the best!; Some of my food creations this week: Sparkling Cider Pound Cake, candied bacon, and Romano chicken with lemon garlic pasta.