June 15, 2015

Holaaaaaaaaaaa querida familia,

Cristian was confirmed a member yesterday and it went well! We had ward conference so it really was an awesome meeting.  I always play the piano but yesterday we did a special music number and it went really well.  (Two sisters were sitting up front bawling so it either was really bad or really good)

So we are in the process of trying to find new investigators.  We found two the other day: Belén(15) and Manuel(24).  They are both awesome and we were really excited when we found them.  We taught them the restoration and they said that if they received answers about the Book of Mormon they would be baptized.  We taught them outside in their yard because their dad is not very interested....at all.  It was later at night and it was SUPER cold.  They live up in the top of the hill that is in our sector so there was a ton of wind blowing through.  At the end, we apologized for it being so cold and for being outside so long.  Belén responded "It was worth it".  So hopefully this interest that they have can grow so they can be baptized.  They didn’t come to church yesterday.... so we will see what happens next week.

So in our search for investigators, we were knocking some apartment doors and nobody wanted anything to do with us. haha We started walking and an old 90ish year old man was slowly walking using the hand rail.... and I mean SLOWLY.  We started to talk with him and asked if he was interested.  He kept his slow and steady walk and said "Quizás mas adelante" (maybe later on) haha we almost died of laughter after we left him. haha Well... His arms are always stretched out still.  

Today I read a talk that Amy sent me when I was in the CCM.  It is called "Swallowed up in the Will of the Father."  It really inspired me and gave me a strong desire to work hard.  It is hard to get rejected constantly every day.  I think the hardest part is not getting used to getting rejected (who knows... maybe it could be useful for the dating life after the mission...haha)  I am trying hard to follow the spirit and not just pass by each day in the routine of mission life.  In the talk, he talks about the sins of commission and the sins of omission.  Most of us don’t have problems with sins of commission (Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity...etc)  But rather it is the sins of omission(the things we should do but that remain undone).  But the Celestial kingdom won’t be filled with people who just "didn’t do bad things".  It will be filled with people who don’t do bad things and who try every day to do good and to be more like the Savior.  I love the mission and I love the privilege I have to try and have my will be "swallowed up in the will of the father."  I love you all.  Thanks for the prayers and emails.  It means a lot! Prayers coming your way! 

Love,

Elder Crofts

I made some of Mom's cookies for the Relief Society. They were a hit!

Our Ward Mission Leader. Super great guy!

The Bishopric. Jose (the one next to me) served his mission in Ogden!!

Marcela! Haha we were taking pics and she wanted in as well!

Family night with a less active and JUANITO!!

I died when I saw this pic. Haha

Interchange with Elder Gomez from Argentina. Great Day!

Last district meeting of the change!

Family night with the Jorquera family!

June 8, 2015

Hola Queridos,

We had a great this week.  Two souls were saved: one was the soul of a man; the other was the soul of a cat.  haha we were climbing up a GIANT set of stairs when we heard a cat crying and crying from a tree.  The genius had gotten into a spot where it couldn’t get down.  We had hoped to see it jump the 9 feet that it needed to land on the ground but unfortunately it didn’t.  We visited a few houses and on the way down it was still there so we got a plank of wood to help it down.  Well scouts taught me well.... do a good turn daily.

The other soul that was saved was CRISTIAN.  He got baptized yesterday and it was awesome.  I baptized him and right after we came out of the water he said it was just an overwhelming feeling that came over him.  He was really happy and we were really happy for him.  Just like with Sebastian’s baptism in April we had a lot of drama to make this baptism happen as well.  Everything worked out and now we are going to try and help Cristian progress with the ward’s help.  

We now have basically no one that is progressing.  So this week, we are going to talk with EVERYONE. It isn´t always easy but I always feel good when I feel I have done my part to talk with every single person that the Lord has put in my path.  The other day, we went to contact a 60 year old man.  I stuck out my hand to greet him and he didn’t even flinch and walked right through it.  It must be the sun screen that you and mom sent me for my birthday because I am convinced that I turned 100 percent invisible. haha poor guy, probably has a bruise in his gut.

I am in 3rd Nephi in the BOM.  I love learning from the teachings of the Savior and thinking about the things I need to do to improve.  I loved what I read today.  We can serve God or we can serve Satan there is no in between.  And,  in all things we need to remember to look to serve God and build His kingdom and all other things shall be added unto us.  We may not understand why things happen, but we can always trust in Him, knowing that everything that happens in our lives will work together for our good if we let Him guide us. 

This week was a little better but it is just tough at times feeling like you're still not doing it just how it should be.  I am sure you understand.  But thanks for all of the advice.  I am trying to really get things going.  This could be my last full week in the Chamiza Ward but we will have to see.  I am trying to really organize my time because I feel like part of what stresses me out is that I have NO time to do all of the things I feel I need to do with all of the responsibilities as a DL.  But I am working hard and hopefully we can see some miracles this week.  I Love you all.

Con MUCHO Amor. 

Elder Crofts

Cristian's baptism was awesome!

Cristian and his parents

Waiting for the font to fill up

Waiting during Cristian's interview

The cat we saved

Hellooo kitty

My salmon breakfast from the other day

Mission blog pictures from Achupallas Zone Conference

June 1, 2015

We had a good week.  We have been trying to talk with everyone but there is just not a lot of interest among a lot of people.  But we are looking for the people that the Lord has prepared.  We activated a woman named Rosa Farfan that is from Spain and she is so awesome.  We have had a lot of less actives that have started coming and we are super happy about that! This week, really flew by and I don’t have a whole lot to say.  Cristian hasn´t been smoking for 1 week and he should be baptized this Sunday.  He really knows it is what he should do.  Yesterday, he didn’t come to church but we stopped by later that day and he told us that he just didn’t have a good weekend and fought against the feeling he had.  Out of nowhere our 1st and 2nd counselor of the bishopric showed up and we had a super powerful lesson.  He knows he is in the right path and hopefully he keeps his commitments so he can be baptized this Sunday.  It was a tough week but we are going to work hard and try to make this week a better one! 

I just wanted to thank you for all you do.  Your letters and emails really mean a ton and I am super grateful for everything.  I am glad to see that you guys had fun in San Fran and it sounds like everything was awesome! That Tony´s pizza looked even better than I remembered. Have mercy..... I would swim all of the west coast to get my hands on that puppy!  ha-ha The pizza here in Chile is NOTHING like the stuff we have back home. Well, I am doing well.  I am trying to work hard and be obedient but like it says in the "His Grace is Sufficient" talk by Brad Wilcox, I always feel like I come up just a little short.  There are days where I feel super good about everything and others where I feel not to great.  I think what is the hardest for me is to feel like I am an efficient missionary.  The other day we stopped by a member’s house to see if he could come with us to an appointment we had and he invited us in to his house and told us that he couldn’t but kept talking and talking and TALKING and one hour later we left.  The other day we had lunch and we got there and it wasn’t ready and we ended up having a two our lunch.  I try but things just don’t turn out always how I would like them to (such is life right).  Or some days we try to talk with everyone and the majority don’t even shake our hands. Haha, we just laugh it off most of the time but what bugs me is that I feel I have such high expectations for myself and for my mission and I want to learn as much as I can from these two years so I can become the best me I can.  I know I will never live up fully to the expectations God has for me but it just sucks sometimes to feel so far from where you want to be.  I try not to compare myself to others but it happens at times.  I am starting to realize that the 1 year mark is just a few weeks away and I feel like I still have a TON to improve.  What were some things that have helped you to have constant and persistent personal growth and to feel like you are working effectively every day?

I have learned here in the mission that it really is tough to turn everything over and to be 100 percent consecrated to the work.  It is tough to "humble yourself to the dust" and to put off the natural man.  I feel like there are so many things and people that I need to pray for but at night I am exhausted and don’t fight to give the quality of prayer that I need and the other people need.  I love you and I really am doing well.  I am just bugged at times that I can´t seem to take 100 percent control of my growth and the success in the areas I am in and in my district.

I hope you have a great week of work.  Thanks for all you do 

Love you all, 

Elder Crofts

Achupallos Zone Conference. Our last conference with President Kahnlein.

Elder Brown & I on our way back from Vina

Interchange with Elder Veloso

Ain't nothing like condensed milk to tame the beast within

We decided to make some homemade beans....yummy, yummy!

Hey, lets make a roof

Hey, lets make a fence. Hope the one at home looks better when finished

Looks like a nice position for a nap

May 25, 2015

Buenos tardes mi querido familia!!!

Well this was another good week.  On Friday, we had our last zone conference with President Kähnlein and it was awesome.  He talked of the need for us to have works of righteousness.  We should try every day to perfect our works and follow exactly the path that Christ taught.  If we are righteous, we will always be happier.  He shared a video in the end of a man who talked about the things that really are the most important in life. In this video he shared a story of when he had bought a nice new convertible.  He would frequently take his niece and nephew on a ride.  One day, his niece and nephews mom said to them "be careful with your shoes not to scuff up the nice new seats that your uncle has!"  He then took a freshly opened can of orange soda and poored it all over the back seats and said "It is a THING!"  He then went on to say that the next week he was taking his nephew for a ride when suddenly he threw up all over the back seat because he had gotten the flu a day or two before.  He said "I felt so good knowing that I made it so a little 8 year old boy didn’t feel so bad about ruining a THING!".  Something that was also said was "the game is short.... so play hard."  I am trying to "leave it all out on the field" every day.

Oh Juanito.... so I am sure you remember Jaunito.... well it was his turn to give us lunch again.  After a GIANT bowl of noodles and clams,  he gave us both 2 GIANT plates with two pieces of fish that were bigger than any piece of fish I had ever eaten.  I really ate like two fist sized pieces of fish.  He then brought out a GIANT desert and cut it into 4 pieces.  He said that the person that finished 1st would have to eat the last piece.  I ate nice and slow so that Elder Brown would have to eat it haha.  But.... as soon as I finished... "Elder Crofts! You didn’t get another piece! Should I give you something else?" "No Juanito, I really am stuffed don’t worry about it!"  "Oh but it is not fair" he responded.  He then left the room and came back with a box that had a dessert that was the size of my fist.  I just started to laugh uncontrollably.  I have started to get a little bit of a stomach and have lost a lot of muscle mass so I have been trying to eat healthier and he wasn’t helping me out. haha as I continued laughing I moved in my chair a little bit and it made a big screeching noise like it was about to burst into little pieces. That killed me. haha I started laughing so hard that I burst into tears and instead of sounding like a laugh it sounded like more of a girly cry leaving my mouth.  Embarrassing.... but well..,. it happened.  I have meditated about going to a pure water diet. haha

So yesterday, I learned a lesson about not judging people.  A young woman with flaming pink hair was walking in front of us.  I thought to myself "how on earth could someone come to the conclusion that dying their hair flaming pink would be a good idea?"  We passed her and as I looked over she had a lot of different piercings and tear filled eyes.  For some reason, we kept walking and contacted another old man that wanted absolutely nothing.  After the contact, we kept walking when we passed the park where we always run in the morning. We saw this same girl sitting on a bench bawling.  We felt we should go talk to her.  Her name was Fernanda and she was only 16 years old.  Her mom’s boyfriend had arrived at the house drunk and had threatened to kill her.  She has been an atheist for a few years but I think she really felt the spirit as we talked with her.  Tomorrow we have an appointment and hopefully we can help her come closer to God by being baptized.  It made me realize that I don’t know what circumstances people are in so I should not judge them.  Not all people have had the privilege of being raised in a gospel centered home.  I love my Savior and I know he and our Heavenly Father love us so much.  I know this church is true.  Time to keep “playing hard.”

Con amor,

Elder Crofts

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!

In this picture, I was in mid blink. I was about to erase it but Elder Brown said "but if she served in Japan it's perfect." So there you go. Haha Hope you had a great day!

We made Mom's BBQ chicken pizza.

Yes, I do recognize that almost all the pictures have food in them. You can shave a tiger but that doesn't change the fact that he is going to have stripes.

First plate with Juanito

Hey there big guy.

The fish is as big as my fist.

Dessert #1

Dessert #2

My reaction to Dessert #2. Don't mind the rolls in the chin...it comes with the dessert...the tears also come with the dessert.

Looks like the poor guy ran out of lives

Almost all of the photos we get from Bobby involve pictures of food, we hope this is an exception!