Another Strange Week!

So this week, we ran into a bunch of Muslims or Islams or something, they didn't know Spanish so I helped them find a house in hualqui. I guess they were having a big meeting with all their people in South America or something. In Hualqui, the most under the radar place in the world lol at first I was like uh... I'm white, from America and I'm Christian in south America, they are going to kill me lol.. But no they were nice and I helped them. Then Wednesday we ran into a man named Achmet who lives here in Hualqui, he as traveled the whole world except for New Zealand and Australia. He knows 8 languages and has studied religion his whole life. He is from Egypt. He really shook my faith he pounded our religion hard, so I decided to bear my testimony in English, in English I know for 100 percent fact that my testimony is powerful and true. Yeah according to some of my old friends, yeah I knocked his socks off. But man did he shake me I have never been shook like that, after the hour we talked with him he gave me a hug, said thanks and God bless you and said he would read the Book of Mormon, not analyze it .... lol I also got a new bed and we cleaned the house. So I am learning alot through experiences here in the mission and I am learning alot. But man I do miss the simple things that I loved in life like going to get a pop with my sisters or to Canes with mom.. lol But hey i'll be back before you know it and I have a lot more work to do here in Chile and more work on becoming the man God and my family needs me to become. I love you all, Know that I am here for a reason and for a time. Not forever. wow, a dang cow just walked into the cyber cafe I'm using the Internet in lol.. Just want to leave my testimony, that I don't know everything, I don't have a lot of education. But when I can read a book, pray and feel the power of God overcome my body and testify to me of the truthfulness. A book that has taught me everything i know and will continue to shape me into the man whom I want to become for those I love and for the God I love. I don't need to know what language it was from I don't need to know the Hebrew name for God. The power of the true gospel burns within my heart and nothing will ever make me deny it. I know its true, if not I would have come home plenty of times. Be strong family and friends, Daily prayer and reading is the most important, life is simple. Its supposed to be fun and full of joy. If not I know for sure I wouldn't have choosen to come here. I will email more next week. Life is what you make of it and how you react to what is given to you.

Love Elder Matthew James Ward

Strange Happenings

5-17-2010
I am going to start by saying I am going to try to make this email even close to describe the events of the last week here in Hualqui. First we started off the week with a companionship inventory, alot of things where said and we are good now as a companionship. But yes I still hope I am only his comp for 4 more weeks plus maybe I can get out of Hualqui. lol This place has an ancient Mapuchi blood curse on the town, and that the Devil visits once a year to check on his servants in the world and that Hualqui is where they all meet. We got into a new house this week, we are teaching a family now but their house has evil spirits the shower turned on twice and same with the TV once during the lesson they say that they unplug it at night and the father squeezes the nozzle to the shower as hard as her can but yet every night it goes off. They see demons in their kitchen alot, they described them like the dementors off of Harry Potter. Yeah creepy huh. We Blessed their home and invited the spirit of God into their home. Man did I feel better after that, but hey we will see where it goes. Oh then a really sad experience happened. I went out one day with Elder Garey and as we were walking a man stopped his car and said Elders! so of course we came, he told us there was a woman trying to commit suicide near the river which is a 5 min walk from where we were. We ran down there and found her. A little tiny 62 year old woman who was shaking as she wanted to throw herself into the river. We got her to walk with us and we found out that she is really sad and her husband died 2 years ago, he used to take care of her and spend time with her. But now she said she had nothing to live for, we talked more about us and her, the good things in life and we asked her if we could walk her to her families house where she lived. It took 1 and half hours to walk the 300 yards to her sons house. When we got there the daughter in law was home, she wouldn't let us in, wouldn't let us give her mother in law a blessing and the part that made me most mad, wouldn't let her mother in law in the house. So we walked her to a members house and gave her a blessing and after about 30 min she felt alot better, we took her back to the sons house and he was home, he took his mom in but slammed the door on us and told us to never come back. Then we did more service this week, I chopped wood for 4 hours man I am a machine! The gloves are coming in handy thanks! It just feels so good to hit something as hard as you can and watch it destroy what you hit lol... I enjoy chopping wood alot. Then Sunday we had a man give us a story that the devil fought him in his house and tried to get him to deny the priesthood yeah creepy. I am starting to see things lol... no I'm not but its kinda creepy here with all the fog and everyone having crazy evil spirits. The other elders their investigator who just got baptized got attacked by an evil spirit had to go the hospital and everything it was bad, but the Stake President came down with the bishop gave her a blessing and they attacked back with the power of God! OK yeas this email is ridiculous but its only a little bit of the stuff that happened here in Hualqui. I make fun of it to much but people here are way serious bout it. So Jessica the girl we baptized 3 months ago, we had a lesson with her and her boy friend Felipe, and a young man came to teach with us. For a second I had to sit back and just observe, here I was in a room with four recent converts all under 25 and all members for less than 4 years. 2are getting ready for temple marriage and one to go on a mission and one sending in his papers next week. Hit me hard- Well I am out of time I love you all and I Hope you don't freak out from my email. Hey i love you guys have fun in Vegas for me!

Service -digging holes

Hello family this week was crazy! So I did alot of service! I dug 2 big holes one for seaweed and another one for a fire for trash. Our investigators loved how fast I could dig a huge hole. Its alot easier here, the dirt is actually soft. So the call home was great, we talked to a prophetess this week she cursed me and jazz. But man I am starting to love the mission now as I am learning and can almost speak fluently in Spanish. Just a few months and the language won't even be a problem. Its amazing how much the Lord knows each and everyone of us personally and can answer the prayers of multiple people through each other. The Lord is really blessing me right now, except that my bed broke! and I am now on the ground ;( ..... But hey the work is going good, we have a Mission conference this Thursday and alot of people to visit and teach. Well I am going to go finally buy my jacket today! and my hour is basically up so I have to go. But I love you all!!!!! and I miss you guys but I am really learning and having fun here. Short email I'm sorry, But I will write more next week!

Con Amor, Su favorito hijo Elder Ward

Date: Mon, May 3, 2010 at 9:58 AM

Subject: CAMBIOS!!!

Hey guess what this week was Cambios! I'm staying in Hualqui with the Peruvian! great news huh... Not lol Well this week was alot better, the Lord blessed me with knowing Spanish finally this week was actually quite easy when it came to speaking. We did service, Chopped wood for 5 hours it was just me Elder Rawe and Elder Godfrey doing it lol man it was fun. And no I'm not small they are just really big gringos, they are both 21 I am 19 lol ok.. We taught alot of new people this week and are trying to find some good investigators right now we only have 2 good ones. Oh yesterday I helped one of our investigators with her English homework she is 20 she had her friends over to have English help to. Man they thought I was so cool that I could help them, and I thought it was cool cause I was explaining how to use there, their and they're in Spanish lol same with all the possessives in English its like 20words in Spanish its like 4 lol.. So The other elders Garey and Godfrey tried 4 times to scare my companion this week because they don't like him either, but they ended up scaring me every time.. yeah Emily would of freaked! I am excited to call home this week and hope everything works if not talk to you Christmas. I am excited to hear from all of you, Oh yeah I hit six months last Wednesday so we made a fire Elder Ward (Jared) style, Thanks for the box that started it up for us;) lol It was alot of fun Well I'm doing good and I'll talk to you all Sunday!

Love Elder Ward

Jared how dare you email me with a photo of a xbox controller.. I miss it.....