What's up Family?

Hey family this weeeeek was crazy fast, I personally worked the hardest I feel I have my entire mission. And I LOVED it. I woke up tired, went to bed tired and it would hurt to keep working by Friday in the rain with my awesome shoes.. But God blessed us with a bunch of new investigators. Things couldn't be going better in our sector. I am so excited to get these packages, one last request.. lol the book the Peace Giver.. lol we have cambios in one week and we are 100 percent sure that Elder Michie will be leaving. I don't like cambios but sometimes its very needed. I enjoyed all the emails this week especially dads. This week was awesome with the whole earth moving again.. I can't wait to live somewhere where the ground doesn't live 7.0 earthquake and I was like in the dead center of it in a house that half of it fell down in the first quake and everyone was freaking... lol.. But me and my comp handled it good.. We have a kid named Diego who is 17 and ready to be baptized but can't get permiso.. but we are working on that. I'm loving my mission right now. Miss home but I only have like 20 minutes to think about home in the whole week.. So I'm just going to keep working and reading, holy jazz do I love to read but only things that help me learn more.. Sometimes I forget how my life is not normal.. but for me it is.. I don't even think I remember what normal life is. lol.. for the priests... you must have a testimony before leaving or you won't  make it. Study the attributes of Christ and apply them in your life. Learn to develop personal pray and scripture study everyday and drop your cell phone and you will be ready for the mission!! lol I love you all!! I love it here (still don't want to live here forever) but as a mission I love it here!!!


Love me...

NACHOO!!!! February 7, 2011

Hey family and friends this week was absolutely crazy, and yes contacting still sucked But we still did it!  Yeah take that jazz Satan. lol So I had a mini cambio with one elder and he talked to me until like 2 in the morning quizzing me on the gospel lol it was a lot of fun and we learned a lot. We also cleaned the house really good and I made a sweet work out area and I have worked out every day for the last week!!! yeah lol But I still have a belly, but I feel great. I am almost done with a "Marvelous Work and a Wonder, good book. I should finish this week!! I finished the Book of Mormon this week and that felt good this week too... I would like to request the books, Man of God, The Holy Temple by Boyd K Packer which I already have in the house. And I would also love a book about polygamy. I just got to learn more about it people pounded me about it this week and all I got is an example in the Bible, that if God wants it we do it, and the restitution of all things in Acts. But I still would love to know more. I miss the temple so freaking much, I actually really got frustrated... I used that word for mom I was thinking of the word XXXXXX lol.. Because I keep learning things that pertain to the temple which I love, but there is only so much I can remember. Plus how do they expect us to have full strength as missionaries but yet not go to the temple for 2 years!!!!! my shoes.. hahaha one pair is done!! The other are still strangely very comfortable. I only need one pair of new shoes, Only that I went and tried to buy shoes but the only carry 12 in Santiago... yeah I cant buy shoes mom and dad. Besides that I bought food with my credit card thanks... lol This week we had a crazy experience we were walking and I felt a prompting to go to a new converts house whose mom has had bone cancer for 5 months who is also a member.. So we go because we were like one block away.... right as we get there her brother runs out of the house screaming... then Maciel the convert yells for us to go in. She had a good number of her family there visiting and their mother had died less than one minute before we arrived, which was almost just as we got the prompting.  The whole family is screaming at us to save her, that God sent us to save her. I have never had to make a decision like this before, Blessing or prayer, What to say and do? I said a prayer.  Don't remember what I said but everyone was so calm afterwards and I had one of them call an ambulance.  We kept them all calm And most of them separated until the ambulance came 25 minutes later.  In America how long does an ambulance take.. But hey its all good. It all turned out fine the family is fine now.  She (Maciel) bore her testimony in sacrament It was intense, who in all of Chiguaynte would of showed up at that moment.. Only the elders. This week we also had  Nacho Libre masks.. fun... I loved it. We also went paint balling this morning and I didn't get hit once, I was the Kayman of the group. The one everyone hates except if he is on your team. lol It was so much fun Kayman would be proud. Well family Everything is going great I'm learning alot and feeling great I just need more books I will be done with the last one by the end of the next cambio. We have transfers in 2 weeks, not looking forward to that. I love you guys so much!!! And i miss you so much.
Elder Matthew James Ward

January 17th and January 31st

Jan 31st: hello family, another crazy fast week. we got so rejected this week!! called devils, then after i told that woman we were there to baptize her.. that didn't make her any more happy!.. I also got spit on this week. I guess I'm finally in the club lol I also look sweet, because i go around with a huge fanny pack now instead of a shoulder bag. So much more comfortable. we also got approved to wear hats, but they are Indiana Jones hats... I cant wait to buy one and walk around like a testigo de jehova! lol We found a 17 year old boy though that is way interested. Its so weird, I miss home, i walk in the heat all day with a fanny pack and broken shoes for 10 hours a day work my butt off, I'm yelled at and sworn at, spit at and what ever else you can think of. But yet something so weird, I'm happy!! I have found how many people do things or judge someone before they ever knew them. Its crazy you could talk to some one a lot or occasionally and still never even know them. I'm doing great family I love you all!!!!

Love Elder Ward

Jan 17th:Well mom and dad thanks so much for the emails, its crazy to hear dad say that he is Intimidated to teach .... shoot dad you know every thing. We have to ask grown men who might not even believe in God to get on their knees and pray in front of us and their family and remember its the first visit too, after about 20 min in their house! That's intimidating!! lol jkjk Thanks for the doctrine mom. I have had a good week, things went extremely fast. I cant believe I'm here again emailing. We now have permission to email for an hour and thirty minutes. So I have time to email everyone.  Don't forget that I can type like light speed. We had two new converts of less than two months of their baptism up blessing the Sacrament this Sunday I loved it. I bought a new bag to day and I feel great! We also played volleyball today AND I destroyed. It was a lot of fun but man am I in need of a good work out. But hey I work out 3 times a  week. Its just hard there is so much food here from the members and they expect you to eat like 3 plates. I'll give you two a story. There is an Elder in our mission named Elder Gil from Colombia he is the assistant right now and he is an amazing missionary. He was in the Mission Presidents house when the President got a call from a Area Seventy from Argentina asking to go to lunch with our pres. So they did, it came out that it was for no reason why he wanted to have lunch just that he was in the area and the man said the spirit told him to. That him and his wife had to visit our mission pres and his wife. After lunch they went back to the mission home and Elder Gil was there. He recognized the mans name and asked him where he served his mission. This man had baptized his mother 25 years ago and never heard from her since.  Now he  meets the son of the woman he baptized from a contact in a bus so long ago. Elder Gil told us about it. Good story huh.. We never know how much can come from a simple contact on a bus. Now all of her children are members and her husband is Bishop and other family members were baptized later and from that one person, in the family they have had 4 missionaries. I love you mom and dad....

Hello

Hey family this week went by extremely fast. I don't know what is happening with the time right now. I am already in my second transfer in this sector. I don't really know what to say this week, things are just going so fast. I am falling behind on my journal, more than a week to be exact. Mom and dad, thanks so much for emailing me so much. I'm starting to think that I have been forgotten. And then in 9 months when I'm home everyone will freak out like oh he is home.. but don't you worry I will know who actually remembered me.... So email me fools! I had three emails this week, mom dad Blair.. know when I'm done with this email like wow Internet took 15 min .. lol It s good to hear that everyone has Internet in their house and apartments but cant email me.. Sorry I just had to be a little negative on you guys so you can know that it affects the missionary. We found a lot of new people to teach this week, but all of them we taught once and when we went back didn't want anything. So i don't know what is going on right now only that me and elder Michie have a lot of work to do. This week we did have a lesson with the family we found, its kinda lame because we only have once maybe twice a week to teach them. They hit us with a lot of tough questions and doubts. we didn't answer all of their questions. But man was it amazing how the spirit would tell us exactly what to say. the mom was like, but I don't think that any church has all of the truth I don't understand why. We didn't answer for like 30 seconds, awkward I know. But then it came to me, I was like Maria do you believe that God is our loving Heavenly Father? well yes.. Do you believe that he wants us, his children to return to live with him? well yes. Well then Maria, if you sent Ronald to Japan would you want him to come back? well of course....Would you show him completely how to come back or give him half of the map.. she paused for like thirty seconds. And I said, "God wants us to come back, he gave us the complete road map. Would he give us only 30 percent of the ma?. NO, HE WOULD NOT DO THAT!" They paused for like a minute and afterwards the son who is 24, he was like, that was a really really good answer, we were not expecting that. The Holy Ghost is real, you can not confound a worthy missionary. Another awesome Experience... we were greeting the members as they were coming into the chapel when we heard a really loud thud.(the church is on a big main road.) We look over and we see a flying dog!! but this dog was seriously the size of a camel. It flew for like 30 yards and then landed on the side walk, we were awestruck. Its all we talked about for the next five min. . that dog was dead--- but a few minutes later the dog was a live and walking!!!!! Crazy I swear the dogs here are indestructible. they are made of garbage, its all they eat. Plus one day it destroyed us with rain, I thought we were done with rain, but this may have been the most strong rainstorm I have ever been in and yes we worked in it.. Chile.... I am enjoying the mission, things are going great we just have a lot of work to do. I miss my family and friends a lot, I love you all. It would be nice to get a few emails here and there. I hope things are going good at home and mom and dad might be living solo soon!!!!!! crazy. you guys are old. jk I love you all and hope to hear from you next week.
Love Elder Ward

Stressful - January 10, 2010

Hey family Its so crazy that Melissa and Adam live in Vegas again!! It feels like its been forever since the last time that I have emailed! Or had a break, seriously the last 6 weeks of my mission have been so busy I feel like I have aged 10 years. This week we had 5 baptisms, It was beautiful.  Two of them, Luis and Flor are brother sister. Their parents died and she is blind, so it was very interesting teaching her and her brother because he has a few problems himself. But we met them three weeks ago, and now they are baptized. -Miracle. Next we have Stepanie, the daughter of the woman we baptized a few weeks ago. the mom we met my 4th day in the sector and now her and one of her daughters are baptize.- miracle. Then the last one is a family that Elder Michie found one week before I got here. The two boys have read almost a third of the Book of Mormon and they love it, the mom is way into the church because it changed her life. The father we are still working on, but they have a plan to be married the first week of March. This week was so stressful once again. I hate being in charge. But man did it feel good to see the people you love and are teaching enter the waters of baptism. And also being the one to baptize them. We found a family this week, they are so awesome but we will see how it goes, but we might be planning a family baptism next month. Me and Elder Michie are staying together another cambio, we had them today and we are having another cambio. Its crazy that I am starting my 10th cambio there are only 16. I can't believe it. Something funny, in my interviews with President he told me that he was disappointed with the work I have been doing. That he sent me there to do miracles. That I am doing well but he expects more. I was flabbergasted ( not sure what that word means but I think it works) because in one cambio and we had seven baptisms. Most missionaries go a cambio with one or none. It just really confused me, also because we had a third of the missions baptisms for the month. but whatever lol I'm just going to work hard that way we can baptize next month. I feel great though, I can feel that my Heavenly Father is proud of me. oh So Elder Sanchez is getting transferred out of Longavi he is coming to Chiguayante so I will be seeing him! I'm excited. Its cool because I know like all of the Elders in my zone(no sisters)  the only bad part is all of my friends in the mission are starting to go home one by one.  I feel great, don't worry about me I'm learning and I'm seeing the way God can bless us. How real he is. I love you all and I hope to get tons of emails next week!! Let me know how you are all doing and send me pictures.

Love Elder Ward

Merry Christmas! y Ano Nuevo!! January 3, 2011

Hey family! I love you guys so much! These last few weeks have gone by so fast. I have now been with Elder Michie here in Tierra Bella for 5 weeks. We have had 2 baptisms and we are planning 5 more this Sunday. Its hard to email right now because I am listening to the conference talks lol. I still don't have a copy! It was amazing to see you guys and to hear how dang good Jared can speak Spanish. lol yes there was another earthquake but it was a good 150 miles away still pretty big here but we are so used to it. I am so happy to start a new year, I have so many goals. Its crazy to think how blessed I am. Things are going so well. I will write more next week, its just hard. Today is not even a pday we only have permission to do Internet. I hope you all start to feel better and that everything is going good. I will write more next week!


Love Me

HEY! December 20, 2010

Hey family, so we baptized Sandra, a woman that came to church by herself my first week here. And now three weeks later she is baptized. Things are going great I have been on a lot of mini cambios and I cant wait to talk to you guys. My shoes are fine, Just they are getting a little uncomfortable. So some inserts would be really nice. I also found out that my old comp baptized two of our investigators yesterday in Longavi. lol 

2 Missed emails together

12/13/2010
Hola familia, Esta semana fue super buena! Tuvimos cualquier milagro, y estamos muy bien con mi companero nuevo todavia. El bautismo de Hermano Arturo fue muy espiritual, y el dio su testimonio despues tambien. Creo que mi mama talves es poco enojado ahora por que ella no sabe espanol, tampocco otras personas en mi familia solo mi Hermano. El va a tranducir para mi mama, y ahora el va decir que el queire que mi mama haga un  sandwich para el!! Ha you guys don't know Spanish. I Think its crazy how missionaries learn to speak different languages when really there is no structure whatsoever. And most of the time you are with a companion who doesn't Know the language either. I am extremely blessed to have had 3 Latin comps. I can speak really well right now, and there is barely a thing that I cant understand. That's so exciting that Jared found a new job, All By himself  too!! lol Plus its full time, in a few weeks he won't be so poor, How is the house now that Landon is gone! Probably weird huh, man I miss that kid so much. My new area is doing really well, We visited every member of the Consejo Del Barrio this week to gain their confidence. And We are working with the members now, my first week we only had 3 lessons with members, this week we had 10! I rarely have time with Elder Michie in the mornings because he is always singing. He is in a devotional thingy that our president is putting on. But me and him are still going really well. Working our Butts off!! We taught Arturo this week every commandment, got him and interview and a time with the bishop and got him baptized!!! in one week! usually that's like 3 weeks. lol He was ready for it though I cant believe the elders never taught him. We have another woman named Sandra that has had a really really sad and hard life. Almost all of her family is dead and had crazy ways of dying. just horrible things. But she cried during the plan of salvation and Cried the entire time during church she has finally found the true church. I have no idea when we are going to be baptizing her. But its going to happen. We Also got a family to come to church who loved the restoration, and loved church. Just the parents are not married, so we have some work to do there. There is just so much work to do and so little time. I am doing great though, I have been having crazy dreams though, Crazy dreams. It finally hit me that it was Christmas time yesterday in a devotional that we had. holy jazz what has happened with the time. I should be getting me packages today in the evening I'm excited. Well I love you all so much and next week i will write info about the phone call home!!! Oh and the pictures, Saturday night I  had to sew Arturo's pants so they would fit, I really should have learned. It took me an hour!!
Love Elder Ward

Very Different!  12/6/2010
Wow so I got transferred, My new comp is new in the mission he is still learning Spanish. His name is Ken Michie from MORONI  Utah.. hahaha He is awesome though I love him to death. I am in Tierra Bella Which is in the same Zone of which I started. I am in a huge ward of just a little over 150 active members. And during the week we saw member after member and yes they almost all remember me and some of them I knew their names already. The elders before me had so many investigators. But none with fecha or teachings... but they all have tons of assistance's (attendance in church)- You can't baptize anyone if they don't know the Word of Wisdom.. lol The elder before me was trunky and was afraid of teaching the commandments. A lot of the members didn't like him and the missionaries are not trusted here. So I have a lot of work to do!!! But at least we were able to make baptism dates for some people and we taught a lot and we are having a baptism next week!! lol I know a lot of the missionaries in my zone including Elder Moss from the MTC and my old companion Elder Castillo... This last week went so fast. It just starts to go faster and faster. I am not enjoying it. I mean I'm loving the mission but I don't like how fast the time is going. And no I was not able to see the Devotional it didn't play here till 10 and night.. and we didn't have permission.. So we got permission from President to go bowling today!!!! Never want to do it again lol talk about making a boy from Vegas trunky. I was on the dang bowling team and would have the french fries with my mom and Blair and Landon , Zach and their moms . lol... I took first though and bowled a 170 we only got to play one game because man it is expensive!! I live in a mansion too, I have my own bathroom, it used to be a house for the sister missionaries so just imagine how dang good it is!!! I'm doing great family and thanks for the emails. I will keep working hard and man do I miss Christmas.. lol it sucks here...

Love Elder Ward

Baptism and a Transfer

Good news! we had Miryams baptism!! It was amazing she loved it, it took the two of us lol she asked me to say the words though. It was good for the rama. Everyone was so excited, the rama has grown so much. I read a book this week called the Miracle of Forgiveness. It was amazing! I learned a lot. We are going to be baptising Nicolas next week Miryams son, and a woman named Patricia and her son Javier the 19th. But I won't be there, I am being transferred. to Chigyuante the same zone as Hualqui. But I am in Terra Bella now its where I lived for three weeks after the earthquake. So I already know some of the people. Not excited to be changed. Or to say good bye to the people that I love here. Even though I have knocked every door 4 times now, officially as of Saturday. And i could call them by name lol.. my comp was laughing about it. We knew i was going to be transferred. So I have to start working out. I'm starting to gain weight fast. I'm almost 200 pounds. So I didn't even know it was Thanksgiving lol Not until today, and its funny we were fasting as a zone on Thanksgiving. lol That's what I did. what did you guys do? I miss you guys a lot, and don't really have a lot to write now, I did have some stories I wanted to tell but I can't remember now I can't stop thinking about being changed for cambios.

I love you all!!!
Elder Matthew James Ward

Not like last week

This week was tough, I had to leave my sector for 3 days. Elder Sanchez had a training in Concepcion. When we came back to our sector, it was as if Satan had been let loose. A man in our branch said, " the angels who God sent to Longavi can not leave, they are who protect the people from Satan. He told us this Sunday night before we left and then Thursday morning we had a prompting to go to his home first. Police.... something had happened with their son and a debt, all of their appliances were being repo-ed we showed up as the cops were leaving. The family was grateful that we had shown up and helped them to go unto Christ during this trial, and not further away. That was just the start, every home we went to needed help. Or something bad had happened. Yes we were able to leave every home with a Priesthood blessing or a prayer but most important they were happy when we left and had been turned unto to Lord. Bad things happened even to our investigators, including Miryam. I pray that God will allow us to repair all the things that had happened. I have learned that No matter how hard we work to protect someone, or flood them with Christ or the spirit. It relies on them and their agency, faith and actions. Because you can't always be there to protect them. I have also learned that men need to learn what the Priesthood is. Yes its the authority to do ordinances and other things, blessings of health and of comfort. But it is the power to act in the name of God. Who has created all things. The priesthood can bless all things. Anything that a worthy priesthood holder comes into contact with can instantly be blessed. I think Men need to better study and understand the power of which they can access. Things are going good, I am learning more than ever, I just pray that I can become the man who I need to become to bless the lives of others, especially the lives of those I love. I love you all and we should have a baptism next Sunday.    Love Elder Ward

Miracles

Where to start.. well family and friends thanks for all of the emails and the dear elders. It is so nice to be able to receive love every week when I have time to do Internet. Its also really nice to feel not forgotten. lol. I have never worked so hard or prayed so much and with so much strength before until this week. We knew since last Sunday that this Sunday church was going to be in Linares which is a 45 min bus ride away. So we decided if we wanted these investigators to come to Church we would have to work everyday for it. Miryam really wanted to go she said,  "Elder Ward you have to find a way for me to go, I know God will speak to me if I go." What missionary in the entire world would not work his butt off to get a investigator like that there. Her fecha bautismal is for the 28th of November. We only had one problem she is paralyzed from the waist down and she only has a electric wheel chair that weighs 250 pounds. So we had a plan of getting a truck to take her and our other investigators to church.. Sweet right! Wait.. remember how hard it was to find a socket wrench? Yeah now imagine finding a Truck! I called all the presidencies and let them know we needed help, the district presidency and branch presidency of every ward. I then called all the missionaries in the zone to help. Tuesday we found one!!! But then his wife got sick and they had to drive to Santiago. Wednesday we had no luck.. Thursday I was getting tired of it, and wanted to cry to be truthful. My comp and I fasted and prayed so that we could find her a truck. She made me promise to get her there. I called President Humphrey the Mission President and he said he could do it. I was so happy we did it!!! But then  on Saturday night at 9 pm,  I get a call from the assistants they said the speaker during priesthood canceled and our mission president would be speaking so he couldn't do it. I asked them what to do.. They said, "Say sorry and take notes for her." They wanted me and Elder Sanchez to give up. So we prayed to find a way to get Miryam to church, which we should have done in the first place. We could carry her on a bus but we would have to get her to the bus with a wheelchair which she didn't have... So i did all of the phone calls I did for the truck over again but this time we did it for a wheelchair. We finally got one but it was in Linares.!So we would have to get it in the morning.. we had a way... so we got to sleep at about 3...the next morning we woke up early to get on a bus by 730 but wait... there are no buses till 10 am on Sundays!!! no!! We saw a taxi so I ran over to him and I asked him how much and he said 10 mil! that's an eighth of what I get every month.. shoot no.. I talked him down to six and we were on our way. We get to Linares and met up with the other missionaries... No wheelchair!!! the 95 year old man we were going to borrow it from decided to get out of bed and go to the park.. the one day right!!! The Hermanas called and there is a wheelchair in their chapel! at this point we are running the 11 blocks to the chapel. We finally make it and we got the wheelchair, it had 2 flat tires. All the Chileans were trying to help and I just picked it up and ran, it looked like I stole it lol.. My comp caught up to me and we found a gas station!!! No!!! the air thing was broken!!! so we ran 5 blocks more and found another one. Yes!! the wheelchair works, and now we are waiting out front of a lider (shopping store) and waiting for a bus... No buses are coming. My heart dropped, we did all this work, we were five minutes early for the bus and its not coming. I prayed so hard for a bus to come, Nothing. I realized Elder Ward you 're stupid, Just pray for a way... One minute later we decided to just start running it, running the 20 kilometers. She was going to come. She wanted to come and we promised. A taxi came by us and said he was supposed to drive us!? God sent us a taxi but we had to fit the wheelchair  in now. We needed rope, so he called his friend and he was there in five minutes with rope!! On the way to Longavi he asked me why he felt he was supposed to pick us up. I told him we were messengers from God and we had to get some one to church. He told me he had just been praying to find which Church was true. We taught him lesson one about the restoration and he loved it. He took us to Longavi and we picked up our investigators. And he took us back to Linares for half price! We had eight people in a little taxi and as we were getting to Linares a cop pulls us over!!! NOOO so much work so many miracles why did we have to be so close to not make it. The cop came back and asked if the taxi driver is related to a cop in Talca he said yes. And we got off for free!! let go!! and we made it to church 15 min early!! I have witnessed miracles this week. God made us work, we worked so hard that a few times I thought I was going to have a heart attack, especially when I was running with a huge wheel chair on my back! God is real and he is a God of miracles. If we do all we can do he will provide a way. She loved church and wants to be baptized! After Church we had to cook lunch for the other investigators lol.. we did it because she asked us, how can I go to church if I have to cook for my family. So we said we would do it ... lol so we did.. Pday felt great today, no more stress no running with wheelchairs..lol we did play basket ball and it was alot of fun. I'm doing great family and I love you all!!! The power of prayer is real, and I know God lives. The church is true....

Love Elder Matthew James Ward

Hey a todos!!!

Hey family how is everyone, thanks for all the emails! Its always nice to see so many emails every week, and to feel the love from my family and my friends. This week was very tiring. I worked extremely hard. Maybe the hardest I have worked my entire mission. We did not have alot of results. But I know that the Lord is pleased with the effort we put in. We had Miryam the woman in the wheel chair come to church. Only after I rode my bike 5 kilometers to find a socket wrench so I could fix her chair. It broke, and she was going to wait for someone to come all the way from Santiago.. nooo you have Elder Ward lol.. Its amazing that I have forgotten how cush cush you all have it in the USA. I bet you could walk into your garage and dad has multiple socket wrenches. Only two people in Longavi have one. I had to get one from the mechanics they were pissed but I got it. As you can see I had alot of fun decorating our house. I really enjoyed the package.. Thanks so much. The holidays are going to be hard for me again. They are such a special time of the year for me. We had a zone activity in the campo, we played soccer and volleyball. We made a sweet volleyball court. lol We also burned shirts.. the four of us who made a year mark, but the hermana ended up using half of my shirt because she couldn't say goodbye to her shirt lol so I ripped mine in half. The mission is going great I love you all. I hope all is well.. Email me!!!

Love Elder Ward