written: 3/1/2021
Week 9
I am officially in my area! The process to get here was very confusing as we originally thought we were leaving Monday, and then we for sure thought Tuesday, but we didn't leave until Wednesday afternoon! This caused me to be very stressed out because we had not bought food on Monday, as we had thought we wouldn't need to if we were driving to our area. Thanks to Papa Johns, we survived a few extra days (yes there really is Papa Johns here and it really hits the spot)! Luckily, our journey to Chiloé went smoothly, and after about 4 hours, we had made it to Castro/Gamboa! Our house is at the top of a giant hill and our view overlooks a good majority of the city. The house has major cabin vibes to it, as it is all wood. We have all the necessities, including a washer AND a dryer.
The coolest thing about this week was we spent a majority of it outside of our house! On Thursday and Friday, we were outside of the house for almost the entire day. We have had the opportunity to have lunch with a member already and we had dinner with an amigo in teaching. I had no idea I'd be able to do this anytime soon, so it is a major blessing that I am able to get out of the house and truly interact with people! Every single person wears their mask, and it is very uncommon to see someone without it, which is weird coming from America haha. The hardest part about the masks is walking. As I mentioned, we live on the top of a hill. To go just about anywhere, we have to walk down a giant hill, walk alongside a busy street then walk up another steep hill and then we're in the main city area. The chapel is about 30 min away from our house and most members homes are about the same. It is great exercise for sure, I just can barely breath with that mask on. I'll take walking all that way with a mask to be able to interact with our members and amigos! I hope things continue to progress and we are able to continue to interact in person!
There are two experiences I'd like to share that happened this week. The first was our dinner with our amigo in teaching. Before we had our dinner, I prayed that I would be able to understand what I needed to and be able to communicate what I needed to as well. As we ate our food, our amigo had lots to talk about and is going through some tough times. After we had lots of conversations, I testified that he will be able to get through his struggles if he leans on the Lord, prays daily and just show effort by reading the Book of Mormon. We have been working towards getting him to read on his own, and afterwards he was really thankful for what I had said and lets hope he is able to continue progressing!
The other experience is our teachings in Creole! I think I mentioned last week that it was a possibility we would be teaching in Creole, and it became a reality. We have had two lessons with our amigo and in both lessons we have read in the Book of Mormon in Creole. We then discuss in Spanish. As I am still learning Spanish, I have to think and translate my English into Spanish while also reading in Creole. It is difficult but it is a really cool experience! I have no idea if I say any words correctly, but our amigo seems to understand when we read :)
One quick note, the yogurt here is amazing and my companion loves to tell everyone how much I love the yogurt :)
I always love reading emails ya'll send to me and even if I don't get the chance to respond, I 100% read every one! Love y'all!!!
Love, Elder Collin Steele
pictures include: Chiloe; View from where I live; Elder Bennett, Elder Pastene, Elder Tobar, Elder Chaparro, Elder Calderon, and Me; and The Book of Mormon is true! No matter what language!
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