Week 50 - White Jordan

written: 12/13/21

Week 50

This week was definitely one for the books. We had the best time talking to everyone we possibly could in Coyhaique. My companion, Elder Petty, is the same person as me. We think the same way, we have the same goals, we are crazy, we are mad scientists together and we have no fear.

After Pday, we talked together and came to the conclusion we wanted to be street missionaries 100% of the week. To most in this mission, that isn't common, but we knew we had to try things in a different way. We decided that we were going to carry a mountain of Books of Mormon, tons of pamphlets, and be outside all day, every day. And let me tell you, it was the best decision. We met so many people who were prepared to hear the gospel and we met so many different types of people as well. Our way of teaching was walking around the plaza and going to people in the grass and asking them if we could sit down with them. We then talked a little, found their interests, and later shared about the Restoration and Book of Mormon with everyone, with 0 fear. We were rejected, we had a drunk guy yelling at us during a lesson, but nothing's going to stop us! A cool thing that happened was one of the people we gave a Book of Mormon to later sent us a message later in the night saying she had read the entire pamphlet and sent a picture of marked verses in the Book of Mormon that she had been studying. We met a bunch of Americans this weekend and they were all from a type of charter school, so it was weird but also cool talking in English to them. We even got to help them in a Spanish project they had for their finals.

I'd say one of the coolest parts was the weekend when we were walking around the Centro and we ran into a guy we had played basketball with an earlier in the week. We followed him and then we really had to use the bathroom but we couldn't find one to save our lives. We were walking around for 5 minutes when we heard someone in their front yard. We asked her if we could use her bathroom, she invited us in, and turns out her husband is someone that has talked to missionaries a ton and has even given Elder Petty free ice cream in the past because he loves gringos! #NotaCoincidence. We played basketball, I made some cool trick shots, we became friends with a ton of teenagers and we were right next to a rap contest where a member was participating. I was given the nickname "White Jordan" because we played a ton of basketball with them and now I have to practice my freestyle flow. 

I'm having the time of my life here serving the people of Coyhaique. I'm giving my all to them and I'm so happy. I got a baller companion, we have so much faith and hope of what we're going to accomplish and we're going to keep killing it. 

Love, Elder Collin Steele

pictures include: I actually made this half court shot! BOOM!; Elder Petty and me; Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ; Scripture Study; Elder Petty and I making friends;