MAY 19 - MAY 25 SEMANA 57 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL CONCEPCION, CHILE

¡Buena semana, familia!

¡Hace frío!

It's gotten cold here in Coihueco! It froze over night, and we left the house this morning to find the ground covered in frost. We are bundled up, with coats and scarfs. And to think of the difference between Coihueco and Orlando!

Elder Hartvigsen and I are having fun, though, and we are making the best of it, putting ideas together to stay warm this winter, working hard, and visiting as many as possible. We are visiting many less-active members yet, and on Sunday a few who hadn't come in a few weeks were able to make their way to the chapel. That includes Hermana Dina, an hermana in her 50s who rides a bike that she calls her Porsche haha.

Mid-week, Ariel, a good friend and 20-year-old recent convert took us out to visit the outside parts of the comuna Coihueco, and we were able to see parts that we had never touched - even spaces of large fields on the side of the foothills leading into the Andes. In the latter part of the week, we had interviews with President Arrington, and then had a mini cambio with the elders of another sector in the zona, Agronomia.

This coming week is going to be yet another one as the last. We are going to do another mini cambio with another sector, and the branch is preparing for a Noche de Talento that the Obra Misional is putting together on Saturday. ¡Que semana!

Sending my love and condolences to the Stokes family, after hearing the sad news of the passing of Sister Stokes. What an example she is to me, and practically another grandma. I know Heavenly Father is taking good care of her now.

I love you, my family. I hope you each have a great week, and enjoy the warmer and sunny weather!

¡Saludos de Coihueco!

Mucho amor,

su Elder Trent Sellers

We made pancakes for the Seminary students - two times now! ;)

At the entrance to Talquipen (a small community outside of Coihueco) with the big Indian man

At a small local de comida called El Carrito Rojo. The completos and churrascos are incredible!

¡Escarcha!

Frost!

MAY 12 - MAY 18 SEMANA 56 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL CONCEPCION, CHILE

¡Buena semana nueva, familia mía!

I'm happy to be able to say everything is well in Coihueco, and that Elder Hartvigsen and I have had our work cut out for us!

We were able to see a number of less-active members come to Church after a long time on Sunday - namely, la hermana Nelly, who recently lossed her husband after a sudden medical problem. We were able to arrange plans for her and another less-active family to come to church, and Elder Hartvigsen and I actually went on divisions with Ariel, a 20 year old recent convert of a year, and Francisco, who just got back from his mission in Puerto Alegre, Brasil, and who is our ward mission leader, to look for a number of people and bring them to the chapel. It was great to be able to do our part to bring la gente to church in this small branch. :)

The entire week saw a lot of success in itself, and we were able to follow up with Luis, the single father, and his son Yeison, as well as Lisette, the 9 year old daughter of a member returning to be active who has wanted to be baptized. We are working hard to help them, and will do all that we can this week to bring them closer to the Savior.

I'm very grateful for these recent weeks in Coihueco, and for the blessing to see progress in the branch after much time here. After more than 3 months, I feel like I know almost the entire pueblo here!

I really do come to love the people.

Of course, I do think about my own beloved family all the time. :)

I hope you all have a great coming week, and use the time as wisely as a missionary!

Mucho amor,

Elder Trent Sellers

SNACK TIME, YUM!

MAY 5 - MAY 11 SEMANA 55 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL CONCEPCION, CHILE

¡FELIZ DÍA DE LA MADRE, MAMÁ!

Happy Mother's Day from a number of miles away!

Mom, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. I did forget to mention that I was able to give a talk at church yesterday (as we are the only two missionaries, that is bound to yet reoccur), and I, of course, mentioned your example. I explained to the small branch here what an example of a mom I have. I thought, and I think, now, back to your love and shining example of service to the older sisters in our ward, and to friends apart from church, when I was younger. I think of every hug and give that you've given me, and every reassuring counsel that you have told me. And, of course, I think of the many late nights when you would stay up with me to help me finish a project for school. I love you, momma, and I thank you for making every sacrifice you have made for me. :)

Elder Hartvigsen and I had a great week in Coihueco - a very busy one, really - and finished it well with our Skype calls home! It was good to SEE you! Thanks, my dad, momma, and Pan, for the short but very sweet time, yesterday. It was good to SEE you, to do Skype for the third time in the mission. ;) 

We sure use the time here!

Apart from the weekend, the week was filled with making a requested breakfast for the three Seminary students, planning and teaching a district class, cleaning out the sister missionaries' house, attending a leadership training in Concepción, and taking numbers from the other missionaries four nights in the week. It's been amazing learning so much in one week!

We had many visits and taught many lessons during the week, and at week's end were able to find a humble, single father named Luis. We are going to begin teaching him this week. :)

I hope each of our weeks might be a successful one, my family.

I love you all, and wish you a wonderful coming week!

Congratulations, again, to my cousin Katie for the engagement! I'm so happy for you, cuz!! Thank you to Joyce and to Travis for the birthday cards and messages, and again to Cris for the amazing birthday packet. ;)

Gracias, y mucho amor,

su Elder Trent Sellers

Our zone, la zona Chillan Ñuble, the past cambio! 

We made zone slippers and socks! jaja

APR 28 - MAY 4 SEMANA 54 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL CONCEPCION, CHILE

¡Buenas, mi familia!

¡Es el día de cambios nuevamente!

¡Elder Hartvigsen y yo NOS QUEDAMOS en Coihueco!

To all here, we look like brothers, and we'll be together for another cambio working as hard as we've been and leading the entire missionary work in this small pueblo! The sector of the hermanas (sister missionaries) is closing, and we two will be the only missionaries in the branch. We will have to continue teaching all who we have been visiting, as well as those of the hermanas. It is going to be an incredible experience, and means a great increase of the work for us.

Apart from a new challenge in the sector, Presidente Arrington called last night and extended to me a new calling - as a district leader! I am grateful and truly humbled for the opportunity to serve in another capacity, and look forward to these coming weeks! Being a district leader involves calling other missionaries and measuring their progress multiple times in the week, planning mini cambios between sectors, and interviewing those approaching baptism. It will be a learning experience, given the challenges of our sector and the responsibilities involved, and I readily accept it!

Apart from the blessing of a new call, I also had the surprise to be visited by two of the sisters from my last new sector Longavi yesterday - Hermana Carmen and Teory! They had communicated with one of the hermanas here in the branch, Hermana Alejandra Galleguillos, and came to surprise me and wish me a happy birthday from the past few! It was a trip of somewhere close to three hours in one direction - a great sacrifice that they made to make it to Coihueco! We enjoyed their visit during the hours of church, and took a few pictures while they were there.

Today, Elder Hartvigsen and I met up with a few of the other elders before cambios to say goodbye. We followed up last week's lunch at a Chinese Buffet (first time in Chile!) by going to the Fuente Alemana Express. It was a delicious lunch, and now we're writing and preparing to head back to Coihueco to take advantage of the day. We are going to see if we might be able to send a few pictures later...

A quick thank you to Cris for the birthday package, and to Pan (Travis) for the birthday card. :) I also got the Easter card from Grannie and Papa, and a number of sweet birthday emails from Joyce. Thank you! 

Really, thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday this past week! I love you, and thank you.

Family, I hope you have a wonderful week! We will SEE each other this Sunday around 3:30 FLORIDA TIME. We are still an hour behind. ;) Prepare to Skype some time around then! We will be at the house of Hermano Lorenzo.

Until then - ¡les amo!

Mucho amor de su elder,

Elder Trent Sellers

¡Salto de Itata! (from our zone activity in March)

I found Mickey! (a favorite from back in Longavi!)

It's a bit chilly in chile!

After the tortazo! (in the home of la familia Garrido)