JUL 8 - JUL 14 SEMANA 12 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL, CONCEPCION, CHILE

¡Hola, mis padres y amigos!

¡Esta ha sido una semana buena en Chile!

We had mini cambios on Wednesday yet again! Elder Withers wanted to make sure to do mini cambios with both of the other sectors in our district. This time I had the opportunity to go to Pedro de Valdivia! It's in the southern part of Conce, right along El Río Bío Bío, and arguably the richest sector in the mission. It's quite a bit different than the other sectors. We actually went back there today to get a few pictures. I'll send those when I can. I got to work with Elder Hualinga, an awesome elder from Perú, and we had a blast. We visited less actives and got to meet the bishop's family. That's one of the best things about mini cambios --- getting to know the people of the sector! After working, that night we ordered Papa John's! Just as good with garlic sauce and all. ;)

I came back to Lorenzo Arenas Thursday, feeling a little bit sick, but all was better by Friday. It stunk a little bit because we had a "tarde de hogar" (family home evening) with Amadeo and I couldn't quite enjoy it as much. It was still a blast and Amadeo is doing great as a new convert! He is the best student in Sunday School hahaha.

Lorenzo Arenas, overall, is doing real good. We have a baptism this weekend!! Coni, the bishop's niece, is set to be baptized this Sunday, July 20th! We moved the baptism back one day because of all that is happening this week. We have a noche misional (unless it's rescheduled), a family history activity, a move to help with, La Clase de Inglés, and probably a few more things that I might be forgetting. It's going to be a busy week this week!

ALSO, that leads me to the biggest news...

¡CAMBIOS!

¡Elder Withers se va! After my first three months in Chile, my dad in the mission is being transferred to be a district leader in Chiguayante and leaving me in Lorenzo Arenas. Of course, I'm a little sad to be seeing my friend leave, but more than anything I'm excited! 

Cambios always bring new opportunities and now I'm getting a new companion! His name is Elder Requena, a CHILENO, and I actually just met him here in the ciber! He is a super nice guy, and I've heard great things about him from Elder Medina who lived with him in Chillan. He comes to Lorenzo Arenas tomorrow! 

I'm going to have a COMPAÑERO LATINO! Well, if I haven't learned Spanish fluently yet, I sure have the opportunity to now! I'm so excited to have a native-speaking companion. It's going to be a great experience!

Alright, my family, I have to get going! 

Muchísimo amor,

tu Elder Trent Sellers

JUL 1 - JUL 7 SEMANA 11 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL, CONCEPCION, CHILE

Hola :)

Before I forget... I got the PACKAGES, and your card!! The card I got last week from the mission office right before we went to the ciber to email, but I forgot to write about it! Thank you, momma. :) NOW, these PACKAGES I acquired today! WOW they came fast!! I took the more compact box out of the bigger box, like you mentioned, and they're both sitting right here with me now. I can't wait to open them up and see what kind of goods are waiting inside! Packages are AMAZING to receive in the mission! Thank you, muchísimo, mis papas. :D

Also,  I found the other set of sheets in the space bag with my sleeping bag and they've been working great! I'm going to change them again today, when we bring laundry to Hermana Lopez later. ;)

I'm glad you and dad had a great trip with Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy up in Georgia! Thanks for all the pictures! MAN, it looks like you had fun!! Dad sure is enjoying the retired life, now. ;)

That's awesome that you got to see Joyce and Mitchie while you were up there, too! So Joyce has a TABLET, then?! I hope she has a really great birthday today. Gosh, that's a lot to take care of with her cataracts and all. Hopefully that will all go well and she'll be able to see better. That's SO AWESOME about Mitchie and Bekah, and that Mitchie has a calling and is working towards going to the temple! You have no idea how awesome that is to a missionary cousin. I'm so proud of that guy. :) I mention him a lot when I bear my testimony about the gospel to the families here and when I share about how much of an effect the gospel has had on my family and I. And really that's the reason why I am here: so that other families can experience the same joy in their lives and I've seen in mine with my own family. That is always on my mind, and always my motivation. :)

Weather has been pretty nice this past week. The beginning of last week was pretty fome (lousy) with overcast clouds and rain, but that always happens here after a really nice and beautiful week. ;) These past few days have been really pretty nice, and the cool weather has been nice as long as I've been prepared for it! Today's been relatively warm, and I'm enjoying P-Day thoroughly. :) We went PAINTBALLING this morning! 

I sent a bunch of pictures that I'll consider the majority of a weekly update this week. ;) 

As an update for the missionary work in our sector, right now Elder Withers and I are working with Coni, the 11 year old niece of our obispò. I'm really grateful that Obispo Rivas trusted my companion and I to ask us to teach her. We've set a baptismal date for the 19th of July, and are teaching her on the weekends when she's at her grandma's. Teaching Coni is a reminder to me of the ability everyone has to understand the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the importance of the gospel in families. It's a tender thought to our bishop, to see his niece coming unto Christ and uniting his family further. It reminds me of Mitchie and the feelings I've felt having seen him make the same decision.

Alright, gotta get going! Any other questions? :)

Quick heads up: cambios are next week! There is a good chance that Elder Withers will be leaving Lorenzo Arenas, as he has six months in this sector, but we aren't entirely sure. Anything is possible, and so we will see this next week!

Alright, love you, momma, and my dad! 

Mucho amor,

Trent, Elder Trent Sellers  

Mini cambios! My buddy Elder Gonzalez, from Argentina, came to Lorenzo Arenas for the day!

The site of the Concepción, Chile temple of la Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Últimos Días! Elder Withers went to the sector/barrio Pedro de Valdivia for a baptismal interview, and we were able to swing by the temple site. Still no official word on when construction will start, but we have heard possibly sometime later this week. The temple will be an incredible blessing to the members and all people here in Conce. Right now members have to make a 6 to 7 hour trip of buses and colectivos to make it to the Santiago temple. The temple site in Conce is situated across from el río Bío Bío.

The site of the Concepción, Chile temple of la Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Últimos Días!

Mini cambio in the sector Universitario! Got to spend a day working in centro, working with mi compadre Elder Sanchez! 

This morning, as a zone, we went PAINTBALLING! Mi equipo: Elder Hualinga (Perú), Elder Flores (Bolivia), Elder Withers, Elder Harrison, y yo.

OWWIE --- something we say a lot in our apartment between Elder Withers, Elder Medina, Elder Harrison, and I haha. It was a joke between Elder Withers and Elder Medina in Chillan when they lived together there.

OWWIE

Después de la batalla

Compañeros, and soldiers in the literal Army of God  

Compañeros, and soldiers in the literal Army of God

I got shot in the button

Elder Withers and I went to SUBWAY for lunch! I got a BMT, as the usual. Note: it's not the same. I love Chile, but I'll be honest in saying that they can't quite do American. They try. Chilean food, though --- ¡DELICIOSO!

JUN 24 - JUN 30 SEMANA 10 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL, CONCEPCION, CHILE

Ok, ok, before I forget anything..

I got a card from Aunt Dee! I got it about 3 weeks ago but I keep on forgetting to mention it in email! I'm going to send her an email and a card when I can. It's a bit hard, but I'll get it done with time. Tell her, though, in the mean time, that I am super grateful and thank her very much for her card and letter of all that she's been up to. :)

Speaking of which...I SAW A TRAVERSE CITY T-SHIRT IN CHILE! Aunt Dee should get a real kick out of that!! haha. I was so surprised!! We were visiting a less active sister and ended up talking to her spouse who was wearing it! I was like WOAHHH, I know that city!! He didn't seem to really understand where exactly it came from, so I don't think he actually visited there. ;)

Also..I got a card from the Krause family with a drawing done by the kids! It was really sweet of them and please tell them that I love it! I love the Krauses, and the drawing was a masterpiece lol. :D I also got a card from Kelsey Snow and she included notes from her, Allura Garcia, and Cris! Tell her I said thank you, as well, and that I LOVE getting notes from home!

Today I drew another $30.000 (US$60) pesos out of the ATM from my home card. I know it's a lot, but the ATM fee here is $4.000 (US$8) and the more you draw out the less of the cut they take. I drew $30.000 pesos a few weeks back to by an umbrella, a scarf, desk supplies, and a few other things. I drew the money out today because we have a couple from our ward that is going to Santiago to the temple tomorrow and they can purchase things for us from the distribution center while they're there. We are getting Amadeo an himnario (hymn book) and a picture book (like one that I bought in the CCM that is super helpful), and I'm hoping to get a small like souvenir from the temple. It shouldn't cost too much with those things, and I'm going to make these $30.000 pesos that I drew out today last for as long as possible only when I need extra things.

Ok, so WORLD CUP! We had to stay in on Saturday from 12:00 until 2:00 while Chile played. Chile perdió (lost), and the streets stayed calm. The last time when they won was LOCO. I'm not sure if Chile has one more game or not, but things are quieting down a little bit. Still, everyone's super excited with the Mundial.

Ok, I have to get going right now. Tell Mitchie and Joyce that I say hi this week when you pass by!!

Love you! Thank you for everything. :)

Muchísimo amor,

tu Elder Trent Sellers

You said Joyce's birthday is coming up on July 7th and that you are going to go visit her. Here you go. :)

JUN 17 - JUN 23 SEMANA 9 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL, CONCEPCION, CHILE

Hola, mi familia!

I'm going to try sending a better, briefer update of the week so I can make sure I tell you the most important things before anything else!

So THIS WEEK...

¡AMADEO SE BAUTIZÓ! My first baptism in the mission! Amadeo Lizama Leiva, who we had been working with the past few weeks, was baptized Saturday, 21 de Junio, and confirmed the next day during La Conferencia del Barrio Lorenzo Arenas (ward conference). I had the great privilege and opportunity to baptize this 83-year-old man and guide him through the process. The service was humbling and spiritual. There were probably a total of 10 of us there for his baptism. Carlos Muñoz, 11 years old, sang a special musical number guided by his mom, and Obispo Rivas and our amigo Cristian Lopez gave discursos.

Just before Saturday I had caught a cold and lost my voice, but fortunately with the remedies of Hermana Lopez, a lot of hot water, and prayer I was able to be well enough to baptize Amadeo. It was an incredible experience and I'm going to send a lot of pictures in just a second.

TAMBIEN, ¡la noche de Sábado tuvimos un Mate Criollo! It's basically a ward social, with mate (a Chilean/South American drink that we're not allowed to drink in the mission) and SOPAIPILLAS! Sopaipillas are these fried dough things that are amazing! We had a great time and played MUSIC! We practiced a few times before and played an entire show of music, along with Karaoke. Rodrigo Inostroza is a recent convert of a few months and he's super kapo with music! We had a blast!

Ok, going on to other emails and sending pictures!

Elder Trent Sellers

Manuel, the man that works in our apartment building. He always says, "HOWWWWWWW" to greet us! haha and of course we say it back!

The people here go LOCO cuando Chile gana!

A stocked pantry makes a happy missionary!

Making MILANESA!

Making MILANESA!

AMADEO!

¡ANIMADOS!

Elder Withers and I love Amadeo's and Cristian's faces in this one! haha. Cristian is super awesome and comes out with us all the time! He is super nice, and a great friend to Amadeo.

¡Amadeo, después de su bautismo!

¡Amadeo, después de su bautismo!

We gave Amadeo a set of scriptures and notebook that Elder Withers, Cristian, and I had all signed

Los misioneros del Barrio Lorenzo Arenas

Haha I love this photo! From left to right: Rodrigo Inostroza (recent convert), Luciano (student of our English Class and potential investigator), me, Elder Harrison, and Obispo Rivas!

SOPAIPILLAS

¡Loco para los sopaipillas! Con Rodrigo Inostroza. He's awesome!

¡Loco para los sopaipillas! 

¡SOPAIPILLAS!

JUN 10 - JUN 16 SEMANA 8 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL, CONCEPCION, CHILE

Hola:

It's been a crazy week, and a great week!! 

I went on mini cambios a total of three times this week! The first time Tuesday night for 30 minutes when we met up with the Universitario elders to do a baptism interview, the second time for all of Wednesday morning in Centro while Elder Withers was at a training at the office for newly called leaders, and then for 24 hours with the Laguna Redonda elders the rest of Wednesday and Thursday! I'm getting around! Wednesday night I spent the night in Lagunda Redonda, working with Elder Shumway (one of our zone leaders). It was an awesome experience working in different sectors! It was cool getting to know the area better and meeting the investigators of the other elders.

We bought our second heater! Elder Withers and I got it at Lider last week and it's been working great! It's a small little electric heater. We used it to dry our clothes and shoes after Tuesday night, too, when we were working in the rain and treking through the flooded streets! It was crazy! We're all dried out, though. ;)

Today's BEAUTIFUL. There's practically no clouds in the clear, blue sky, and it's just cool enough to be nice. :)

Ok, have to get going, but before I go! ..

- we had to stay inside Friday night from 6 until the end of the night because of the partido Chile vs. Australia

- we have to stay in this Wednesday due to the partido Chile vs. España

-.the World Cup makes for a good time to contact people in the street, but I think it's going to get crazier as we get into the month!

MUCHÍSIMO AMOR,

Trent

Tuesday night it was pouring rain and many of the streets turned into ríos! Elder Withers, a member Cristian, and I waded through water way up past our ancles and came back completely mojados from the waist down! It was a crazy experience, and as I told them, a testimony of the reality of our message!

Elder Withers and I

Elder Withers and I

Si, a little damp!

La Laguna Redonda, and our apartment complex

La línea of the train, on the border of our sector! During mini cambios this week, Elder Shumway and I hopped on a train, each for about five seconds haha. Hitchhiking on a train in Chile!

Chilean sunset :)

Chilean sunset :)

Potentially the world's largest fire extinguisher!

The moon this morning, seen from Chile

JUN 3 - JUN 9 SEMANA 7 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL, CONCEPCION, CHILE

Buenas tardes. :)

Yeah, my monthly allowance has been lasting fine! We have $100.000 (I know, a lot!! haha) (about US$200) every month, and I've been allotting myself $20.000 (US$40) per week and a little more from the rest when I need extra (like money for haircuts and laundry --- we have to pay Hermana Lopez $4.000 (US$8) every month for laundry expenses). We got our haircuts here last Tuesday by a man named Emeterio who has a small shop close to our apartment for $2.700. Not bad for a haircut, and it was awesome! 

Yeah, for the most part I've been staying real warm! The big coat that I have has been working GREAT, especially in the rain! It's definitely getting a lot colder here this month and the next. Winter gets really cold here with the rain, and the apartment has been getting colder at night. I'm thinking about buying another small electric heater and getting it reimbursed by the office. We have a small one in the apartment now that another elder has bought a ways back, but the other elders use it more and we could use some more heat. ;) All is good, though, and I've been staying warm at night with my longsleeve shirt and my shirts and wool blanket. The wool blanket is awesome!

I still haven't bought an umbrella yet, but I'm going to see about that today. ;)

My waterproof clothes are working really well, and these boots are awesome! 

MAY 27 - JUN 2 SEMANA 6 EN EL CAMPO MISIONAL, CONCEPCION, CHILE

Hola, toda mi famlia y todos mis amigos: 

P-Day's been great so far! We got news of cambios (transfers) this morning and Elder Withers and I are safe and staying in Lorenzo Arenas together! Elder Taylor, who was "born" in Lorenzo Arenas and who has been here for six months, is getting transferred, though. We'll be getting a new guy in the apartment, then, tomorrow --- Elder Harrison! I don't know him, but he's from a place in Idaho that is really close to Boise and Elder Withers is excited to meet him! Ah ya, and Elder Withers, my papa, has been called as District Leader! He'll be leading our district for at least the next 6 weeks, and that means that our days are going to be a little different. He'll be called by the other companionships every night, teach district class, go on mini cambios at times, and so on. Should be an awesome experience!

After our studies this morning, we came into centro and went to the office, where I helped the senior couples figure out a problem that they were having with accessing a database on the nurse´s (Hermana Balden) computer. We got it figured out, and then Elder Withers and I walked more into the city and had lunch at a place called Mamut. It's about the closest to an American restaurant that you can find here! It was awesome, and I had chicken tenders, fries, and a strawberry lemonade. Not bad for a missionary! The place is like a Chile's, but the design reminds me of Elephant Bar. I think they might be related.

Right now we're emailing and after we have to go shopping and get haircuts. I'll see about the umbrella! And I definitely need a haircut. I haven't had one since the CCM. ;)

So, I'm going to look for the sheets in my sleeping bag the next time we do laundry! We did a small load of laundry this weekend (or dropped it off at la familia Lopez) because of cambios, and we actually have to go pick it up tonight or tomorrow. Sheets the next time around!

Ok, what else, what else...let me see the other email.

           Sent as much as I could about today and a little about this week, but a little bit more.

      - Elder Withers and I contacted 156 individuals (por lo menos) this week

      - I was able to annoint oil for another Priesthood blessing

      - I'm coming to understand people more and more, and seeing (or hearing) progress in the language (including calling                            our district leader one night)

      And, as I said in the other email to mom, Elder Withers has been called as District Leader! These next few weeks will    be a little different than my first 6 weeks here. Ah yeah, and this means the end of my first cambio, or transfer, here! ¡LOCO!

       Alright, leaving with two photos of our zone (or what our zone is before cambios!).

       Great elders, here!

      Love you,

      Elder Trent Sellers

 Photo of our zone (or what our zone is before cambios!).

 Funny photo of our zone (or what our zone is before cambios!).