Week 53 - Feliz Año Nuevo

written: 1/3/2022

Week 53

A very very very busy week with plane rides, new years eve, new years, and many member visits!! Definitely not complaining though, there were some pretty awesome things we got to do.

Tuesday and Wednesday we flew to Osorno for a leaders training. It continues to be a little weird to continue flying and being on a plane during my mission, but it's always fun to travel and even better with my comp, we always make it enjoyable. We got the chance to talk to a group of Americans who were traveling to Coyhaique. They ended up being from Harvard MBA school and by the end of the conversation my brain hurt because they were speaking this very proper and formal English and my brain hasn't heard that in forever, but all good as we were able to talk about why we're serving missions and now they know a little about us. The training was pretty good and we were able to learn some good things to apply to our area in the mission.

The rest of the week we really focused on getting to know the members and the less actives here in Coyhaique. We knew it was vital to build trust and a relationship with a good group of families. With that relationship we will help them stay active, demonstrate love, be able to get references and have more willing members to help us in lessons. We had the chance to have not one, but many big meals with members. Their idea of a big get together typically involves a mix of hot dog, chicken, meat, sausage all cooked together over a wood fire. Always hits the spot. We also had the chance to learn how to make ties and the same member is going to teach us how to make sushi, big score. The members here are awesome, and the less actives are just as nice and willing to let us in their homes. We definitely have our work cut our for us but we're excited to keep working with them and to try and grow the branch to its full potential. We are moving up phases so that will help as we can have more people in the church and less restrictions. 

Something I wanted to share at the end was something that really caught my eye in my studies. I'm going to share it in English as most people that read my emails don't speak Spanish. 

Alma 26: 1-12

"But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

These 2 verses really stuck out to me as it makes me think a lot about pride and how we must be humble and know that the things we do are because God allows them to happen and without Him, we are nothing. We should always have our focus on Him and we will see the blessings of being humble. 

Love,

Elder Collin Steele

pictures include: Elder Petty and I at the Leaders Training; Good food made by Good people; Making matching ties! I can actually sew!; Enjoying more good food with more good people; Elder Petty turned his Birthday Cake into my One Year on the Mish Cake; Sushi to celebrate 1 year! (Shout out to Aunt Lena for paying for it!); One Year = Burn a Shirt Tradition; and My homie and me doing service

Week 52 - Christmas in Patagonia

written: 12/27/2021

Week 52

Christmas has come and gone here in good ole Patagonia! We had a great Christmas Eve and Christmas spent with some pretty cool members. We had a crap ton of meat, chicken, hot dogs and lamb. Christmas ended up being super fun as we went out to the countryside with a young married couple and some of their family members to a river bank and had a picnic, played soccer, and baked in the sun (definitely got sunburned super bad, but all worth it). It was really fun to still be able to celebrate Christmas with a family and to do something outside of the norm! 

With regards to the work, we have definitely found that this branch is a pretty complicated branch to say the least! But all good, thats why we are here to be able to help to the best of our ability. There are many many many less active members, mainly priesthood holders. This week and the upcoming weeks we are going to be focusing on visiting them, finding what they like to do, showing interest in that, and seeing where it goes from there! We don't want to be just like all the other missionaries by inviting them to church and if they say no, which they most likely always will, we actually want to get to know them and show an interest in what they like. 

I am trying to make the most of my time with Elder Petty because in January we are going to be receiving about 45 missionaries from the United States and then in February we will be receiving even more, so the chances of us having to train one of these new missionaries is very high. It is definitely going to be interesting having a mission with so many Americans when we are so used to having a ton of Chileans.

Love, Elder Collin Steele

Week 51 - Voy pa Coyhaique

written: 12/20/2021

Week 51

Hot and humid week here in Coyhaique! The summer is heating up and it definitely does NOT feel like Christmas, but can't say it's bad to say it's hot in December.

Monday and Tuesday we were in Puerto Montt for a multi zone conference! We had the duty to bring 60 cinnamon rolls on the plane with us to give to everyone in the conference. It was a pretty good time and I enjoyed seeing a lot of my old friends in Puerto Montt and being in my old stomping grounds. We originally thought we were going to have to go to Chiloe to help with a big fire that happened last weekend. For those that don't remember, I began my mission in Chiloe and specifically in the area Gamboa and that area got hit pretty hard. But they thankfully got a lot of the cleanup done and our help wasn't needed at the time, but we've been told to stay attentive to see if we are needed down the road!

We continued this week with lots of contacting in the streets. We've been loving the streets and continue to find super awesome people! The coolest experience was meeting a Haitian a few days ago. The cool thing about Haitians is that anytime you go up and talk to them it's like you've known them for a long time! We started talking with him and it turns out he was taught by a sister missionary about 2 years ago and he progressed a ton but lost contact! We started going over the restoration but he was basically like "I know all this, show me something I don't know" so we had the feeling to go over the baptismal interview questions and he said yes to all of them and explained every point perfectly! He said he wants to meet us in person so we can talk more before he makes such a big commitment but to go from a hello in the park to going over baptismal interview questions was something awesome! Me and Elder Petty continue to make the most of our time and we are like brothers now!!

With Christmas coming up this week, it is definitely a little different being on the mission. Of course I miss being with family and the usual Christmas vibes, but can't complain when I'm loving the work here! 

Love, Elder Collin Steele

pictures include: Multi Zone Conference in Puerto Montt; Our new Haitian amigo; There is beauty all around; Brothers from different Mothers; Silliness with a "straw"; Happy Birthday, Elder Petty!

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; 

Week 49 - New Adventures Await in Coyhaique

written: 12/7/2021

Week 49

Lots of changes here in Chile! The biggest one... I'm no longer in Puerto Montt! I've been transferred to Coyhaique, which is part of Patagonia. I had to take a plane to transfer, funny thing I didn't think I'd be taking a plane until I'd be going home haha. The area is absolutely amazing and beautiful, I'm surrounded by mountains from every side and I'm excited to explore more. Our sector is the part outside of the Centro, rip, because I love being in the Centro, talking to tons of people at once, but for some reason I'm here in the more countryside. My companion is Elder Petty, and I couldn't be more excited to be with him. We have the same personality, he loves sports, we both have time in the mission, and we got to know each other in Chiloe when I began my mission so things are going to be awesome together.

This week we had the opportunity to hear a general authority seventy come and talk to us! It was a really eye opening experience and he shared a lot of tips and suggestions to go and find the people that are really interested in the gospel. He had high goals for us but the way he talked and the power and authority he has made it seem possible. It was a really great experience.

It was definitely hard to say goodbye a second time to many people I've grown super close with. The people there will always have a place in my heart. One person in particular that really started to make a difference was Cristina. She was a friend in teaching of the other elders in the sector and she decided to be baptized. Her testimony is something you'd think you'd be hearing from someone 30 years in the church. The last 2 or 3 weeks she was always wanting to share her testimony with us, invite us to her house, and she could never remember my name so she always called me Hermano Texas.

I learned a lot of my time in Puerto Montt, it was an awesome 5 months. The biggest thing was just getting out of my shell. Thanks to my great companion Elder Vilcherres, he helped me really embrace a new me and helped me break out of my shell. Now I feel like I have a new energy and I'm just a crazy guy (in a good way, I promise!) Too bad y'all can't see me in the streets here in Chile, I'm a crazy guy talking to everyone, waving at every car, and dancing to music that people have blasting from their car! I'll never forget what I learned and my number one goal during the mission is improve daily!

Love, Elder Collin Steele

pictures include: The view from my new home; Really going to miss my Mammita and her family; Mega sized cereal boxes for the win!; This is how we DEW things!

Week 48 - Nothing's Gonna Stop Me!

written: 11/29/2021

Week 48

A pretty normal week here in Puerto Montt! It is a little weird not going to lie after saying goodbye to a lot of the members, converts, and friends here in Puerto Montt and then seeing them again and saying "oh yeah, funny joke, I will still be here but I don't know how long so this may or may not be the last time we see each other". We still don't know when we are going to be receiving transfer news and we brace for a text basically everyday. We are going to be receiving transfers every 2 weeks so it's better to not get comfortable. This week we mainly focused on member visits so my new companion could get to know the members that we usually visit and we also had the opportunity to get to know a few new members. We are walking literally EVERYWHERE because the weather is nice and it is a good way to show the sector to my companion. I have a pretty sweet tan so I'm definitely not complaining about that. 

We got the chance to meet with a new friend and he is a Haitian, just like our friend that was recently baptized. What I've seen is that so many Haitians are so open to the gospel and are great people but the language barrier usually diminishes any chance of a true conversion. Well, now we have Evens, our always willing and amazing translator. He is willing to hop on a call any day in the week to help us teach Haitians. This week we got to know a Haitian and we began the lessons with him. We had a lesson about the prophets and we were originally planning on prophets and Jesus Christ and after we talked a little bit about prophets, they began talking in Creole and after 5 minutes, our convert told us that he was teaching about baptism and that he was interested! Crazy! He ended up attending church this week and is pondering the decision to be baptized! 

A crazy cool experience happened last night! We have not had much success this week in lessons but we didn't lose hope. We were in the chapel and we were wondering what the next plan of action would be and we saw that during lunch we had received a reference in our area book. We called him up and he said that he had time to talk right now so we jumped on the opportunity! We thought we were going to share about prayer, get to know him, and go from there. Well as the lesson goes on, I remembered the counsel I always tell my district, "don't have fear in inviting people to be baptized". We continued in the lesson and I told him that it was not a coincidence that we were talking to him and he agreed, saying he has been looking to belong to a church. He also said he was searching for us, as this has happened recently with our sweet abueli we baptized and with Evens. We invited him to be baptized and he accepted! Not only that, but with one of the coolest baptismal dates, January 1st, to begin the new year as a new person! Clearly, we could have just shared our quick lesson about prayer and set up another appointment to teach him and things would have gone fine and maybe in the future we would have invited him to be baptized. But we felt and knew it was his time, and to not hesitate, it didn't matter that we just got to know him. Miracles happen!!!

The last big thing was during the week there were some trials I had to go through and at first it was really tough, not going to lie. But with the help of some friends I have made in the mission, prayer, and reflection, I was able to feel better and remember that trials won't hold me down for forever. I always take solace in Ether 12:27 and the knowledge that God's plan is perfect! I hope y'all can also remember that God has a perfect plan and we will all pass through trials but there is always going to be peace in Christ and his atonement because He just wants us to improve everyday! 

Love,

Elder Collin Steele

pictures include: Perfect Thanksgiving Meal... PIZZA!; So blessed to call him "Brother"; Working while I am playing!; It's a Christmas miracle... my favorite candy!; The name is Steele, Elder Steele

Week 47 - Little Vacation to Osorno

written: 11/22/2021

Week 47

What a crazy week! 

On Tuesday we had a super cool day! We needed to find people to teach and we had the idea to go to a the soccer and basketball courts near us and try and get all of their numbers. We ended up getting a lot of numbers, we enjoyed playing and it was nice to be out in the sun. For me, it's all about finding a balance and making sure I can do the missionary work while doing fun things. On Thursday, we had a district finding activity where we all went to an area in the district and tried finding people for the missionaries there by talking to everyone in the street. My group was my companion and the other elders in my area. We ended up going near the beach and tourist areas. For 2 hours we saw 0 success, but then we saw a group of students playing on the beach and we realized it was basically their PE time. We played volleyball on the beach and we also played beach soccer, all in our proselytizing clothes. We were really living our best lives. We ended up getting a ton of numbers between all of the school and it was so cool to see success while having fun.

We also had a baptism this Wednesday! Evens is a man from Haiti who is super cool. We have been working with him for about a month now and now that he's baptized we plan on talking to a lot of Haitians so that he can translate the lessons because he has super good Spanish. 

The craziest thing that happened this week was transfers. We received news on Tuesday that I'd be leaving my area along with my companion Elder Vilcherres. We were super sad to leave and we had to say our goodbyes. Well, on Friday we went to Osorno. We were in the car when the elder in the office received news my companion has covid and isn't coming to Chile for minimum 2 weeks. So we had to wait for president to do emergency transfers and I was told I'd be returning back to my area with a different companion, Elder Quezada. So basically I packed up everything, went to Osorno, and returned within 24 hours. Little vacation. I'm super sad to not be with Elder Vilcherres because I learned so much from him, we have so many memories together, and I really changed for the better with him. I'm told I have about 2 weeks in my area and my companion from the United States should come and then I'll leave and be with him, but we never know with how crazy transfers are. 

Love, Elder Collin Steele

pictures include: You have questions? I have answers!; Proselyting on the beach; Evens' baptism day; Brothers from another Mother; Me and my new companion, Elder Quezada