JUL 21 - JUL 27 SEMANA 66 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL

¡Buenos cambios, familia mía!

The time of cambios has come once again!

Más, ¡nos tocaron!

Elder Holt and I were surprised in the call of cambios this morning to find that after only a cambio together Elder Holt will be leaving! Elder Holt will be heading tomorrow morning for Chiguayante, leaving his first sector just three months, or two cambios, into the mission. I am sad to see my great companion and friend leave after such short time together. Elder Holt and I have become life-long friends, and it is only after many laughs, learning experiences, and hard work that my Nebraskan brother and I will be parting. It is a tender cambio and, although I will miss my son (he has surpassed step-son), there is something else in the oven. I'm going to be a DAD! And, of course, it's a BOY! Tomorrow, I will be going to the office for the assigning of new missionaries and, after a training and lunch with the other missionaries, find out who is to be the new-born!

I am super excited and, above all, very grateful for the trust that Presidente Arrington and the Lord have in me. This cambio is going to see many changes, and yet other opportunities that I have yet to have in the mission! Apart from having a missionary new to the mission field in the sector, the other two elders in our ward are leaving! Elder Mariano, my compañero brasileño querido, is heading home to Brasil, and Elder Jensen is being transferred to Chillan. I will be the only missionary to stay in Bío-Bío, having only one cambio in the sector itself! Elder Troncoso, Chileno, and Elder Robertson will be coming to Bío-Bío A, and I will be helping them two as much as I can to continue the work of the other elders. Elder Mariano is, of course, going to be incredibly missed!

I am so grateful for the friendships that I have been able to make in the mission. It seems the past number of cambios and this one have seen so many incredible friends finish their missions. I thank Heavenly Father for the time to serve, and the great love that I have come to have for others here in the mission.

The work is true, and there is no other place that I would want to be rather than here at this time in my life.

I love you, my family. Have a most fantastic week, and travel safely, my parents!

Mucho amor a cada uno de ustedes,

su Elder Trent Sellers :)

OUR MISSIONARY SCHEDULING BOARD

JUL 14 - JUL 20 SEMANA 65 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL CONCEPCION

¡Buena semana, familia!

Ah, my, Elder Holt and I have had some good reasons to laugh haha. We have become great friends, the two of us, and we have come to work with true alegría.

Today, after playing fútbol with the missionaries of our zone and those of Concepción, we came to the office to change our clothes only to find that we were missing some important articles of clothing. For Elder Holt, he had his white shirt, a tie, shoes, a belt, pants, but he lacked a pair of socks other than the white ones he was wearing. For me, I had packed everything - shirt, tie, sweater, shoes, and I was already wearing dark socks - but I forgot the pants. Some time later after visiting the closet of the mission office, I am now walking around with a pair of highwaters and Elder Holt is walking around yet with his white socks! hahaha. Oh my, if I could explain the small things that are sometimes forgotten amidst all that there is to do in the mission! 

Well, the past week ended well and cold! Things froze over last night, and it has left us with some incredibly cold weather heading into the new week.

Elder Holt and I worked very diligently to have a more successful week, and we ended it having gone out with members every day of the week and having achieved much more success in our key indicators. :)

We have a lot to do in the last week of the cambio, and we will continue to work diligently in the coming days. With pants!

Les amo, mucho. ¡Que tengan una semana fructífera!

Amor de su misionero,

Elder Trent Sellers :)

JUL 7 - JUL 13 SEMANA 64 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL CONCEPCION

¡Buenas, familia mía!

So I forgot to mention that during the craziness of la Copa América we had celebrated our own nation's day of Independence! ...with baked beans and coleslaw!! While we were watching the partido, we helped la familia Solis make these two very American dishes and they turned out pretty good! Still got nothing on the true South, though!

This week made for another busy couple of days in Hualpen. On Thursday, one of the zone leaders, Elder Hualinga, an old friend from the mission and from Perú, came to Bío-Bío to have a mini cambio with me. I have come to know the sector well in the last few weeks and Elder Holt and I have really come a long ways in the work. On Saturday, Elder Holt and I went to Villa Acero for an entrevista de apoyo for an investigator of the other elders in our district. Right now, every sector in our district has somebody progressing towards baptism!

The overseeing of the work in the district, apart from just Bío-Bío, is keeping us real busy, and it will be another occupied week ahead!

Today I got a package from the Moore family! A huge thank-you to them and their amazing kindness! Also, I wanted to be sure to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little cousin Cameron! I love you, Cam!

You, my family, have a wonderful week ahead. I love you, each, and promise that amidst the busy work that I think of each of you every day. Have a safe trip, my parents!

Mucho amor de su misionero,

Elder Trent Sellers :)

4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION IN CHILE THANKS TO LA FAMILIA SOLIS

JUN 30 - JUL 6 SEMANA 63 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL CONCEPCION

¡Qué semana, mi familia querida!

¡¡¡CHILE GANÓ LA COPA AMÉRICA!!!

After going into overtime and reaching the very last penal, Chile made history on Saturday by winning the American Cup for the very first time!

It's an incredible time to be in Chile, and here I am serving!

We were able to watch the game, and after had to spend the remainder of the night at home because of the craziness of the Chilean people! It's absolutely amazing what patriotism the Chilenos have! We spent the rest of the night before going to bed hearing passing cars honking their horns to different rythmns and many in the street cheering and blowing their own horns and noisemakers. 

It was a great end to a very occupied week with much to do! On Tuesday, Elder Holt and I had to leave to another sector, Villa Acero, to do three different baptismal interviews (two between a mom and her daughter), and on Wednesday I left to Cerro Verde to do a mini cambio with Elder Bird (le dicen Elder Pájaro jaja) for a day. We ourselves stayed very busy trying to take advantage of the time in our own sector, and were able to share a number of times with Cristina and her family.

There is a lot ahead with another week presenting itself to us. Things in Hualpen itself are well. We leave in a "block," one of many large, rectangular apartment buildings that from the outside looks rather run-down but in the inside is actually quite nice. Elder Holt is awesome, and he has learned a ton already in his time in Chile. He is such a cheerful guy, and a great and funny friend. He is from Wayne, Nebraska, I should add! Ah, and we are living with two other elders - Elder Jenson and Elder Mariano - my very same compañero anterior from Brasil who finishes his mission this cambio!

It's great to be together again, and Elder Mariano keeps us all entertained! haha.

Well, my family, I hope you have a wonderful week ahead. ¡Saludos de Chile a Alaska! ;) Stay safe and have a wonderful trip, my parents. Pan, I love you and hope you have an incredible week and are able to get things as you want them with the new house, including the little-brother suite. :)

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, o FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS, TO JOYCE! I love you, Joyce, and I wish you the very happiest birthday possible! :)

Thank you, my family, for all your love. :)

¡Que tengan una semana fantástica!

Mucho amor de su misionero,

Elder Trent Sellers