Weekly Update‏

Here we are again Monday morning at the beginning of another week. I say this just about every week and I'll say it again, I can't believe how fast time goes by out here.

This week was transfers which is basically the most hectic time of my life out here on the mission.  Monday was Elder Bustamante's last day in the sector, we said goodbye to all the members and investigators.  Tuesday we sent him off to Puerto Montt and I stayed with two other elders in the zone for the day.  Tuesday we were in the bus terminal early at 8 30 in the morning and were there coordinating trasfers with missionaries constantly coming and going until my companion finally got here at about 11 at night. It was a really long day haha but I've realized that I should be grateful for the opportunity to learn to coordinate things like that.

Friday was our mission leadership council.  I really enjoyed it this time and learned a lot about how to be a good zone leader (finally! after four transfers!) which I was really grateful for.  My favorite part was being able to see so many of the missionaries from my MTC group all together there.  President Obeso made a comment about it because we have nine zone leaders and four sister training leaders that are finishing the mission this transfer.  Basically we have the choice to be "trunky" and not work as hard as we could and pretty much kill the mission or we can use all of the potential that we have and leave the mission much better than we found it.  It made me think about the choices that we have in life.  We can either use our influence to bring others down or we can build others up and be true followers of Jesus Christ.  We all have that same choice and we can decide how we are going to live our lives.  I'm really excited for these last weeks of my mission and for the opportunities that I have to help life others up and  help them follow our savior Jesus Christ.

Til next week,
Elder Cameron Dower

One Transfer to Go!‏

Hello everyone!

So today marks the beginning of my last transfer in the mission. Today we got transfers and my companion, Elder Bustamante is leaving to another zone of the mission.  My new companion will be Elder Dennis.  I'm really excited to be with him, we lived together for four months while we were in Quellon together and I consider him one of my good friends in the mission.  I will miss my Colombian buddy though, my spanish has improved a ton this cambio and it'll be a little tough to keep it to the end of the mission.

We've had a pretty good week out here.  The best news is that our investigator who I was talking about a while back who had baptismal date is back on.  She'd had some issues with her son but things seem to be resolved and she's excited again for her baptism for the sixth of June.  It's been another testimony to me that God really is in control of His work and as long as we are obedient and do our part, things always work out in the end.  I'm so grateful to be a part of this gospel and to have the comfort of the knowledge that our Father in Heaven is in control and knows what He is doing.

Hope you all have a great week back in the warmth of wherever you are!

Elder Dower

¡Feliz Dia de la Mama!

Hola todos!

Hope you all had a great mother's day yesterday! Ours went pretty well, we had a good day in church, it was pretty interesting though. So in our ward for some reason, we have priesthood and relief society meetings first, then sunday school, then sacrament meeting.  So yesterday when we started, there were only four of us in priesthood, including my companion and I.   So after the priesthood lesson, my companion and I decided to go and get a newly reactivated member who hadn't showed up yet.  We managed to convince him and he came.  We then went and did a special service project for our mamita, the member who makes us lunch every day.  The highlight of the week of course was being able to talk to my awesome family on skype yesterday.  I can't believe that so much time has passed since I left home and a lot has changed.  That's caused me to think and reflexion a lot this week.  Here on the mission, I think we always think that when we go home everything will be the same as it was before, everything back to normal.  But lately I've realized that that's not the case, we believe in eternal progression and as we all go on growing and progressing things have to change constantly.

As I've been thinking about that, it's scared me a little to be honest now that my mission is coming to a close.  But I've found something that has helped me recently.  I really like a scripture in Doctrine and Covenans 51:16-17,

16 And I consecrate unto them this land for a little season,until I, the Lord, shall provide for them otherwise, andcommand them to go hence;
 17 And the hour and the day is not given unto them,wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and thisshall turn unto them for their good.

The important part of this scripture for me is in verse 17 "act upon this land as for years" we are put in a particular situation for a certain amount of time that only God really knows how long we will be there.  The key is acting as if we are going to be there for years, maybe even forever.  For me, that means living in the moment.  Focusing on what I can do now in this very moment to contribute to the something, the Lord, someone else, my family, even myself.  Lately this has helped me a lot to be able to not be overwhelmed by all of the things that are going on now and in the future and thinking and worrying about the past as well.

Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement, I love you all!

Elder Cameron Dower

WEEKLY UPDATE

Hey Everyone!

We've had a pretty good week down here.  Things are going well in the sector as well as the zone. The families that I mentioned came to church again yesterday, which makes us feel really good.  The ward is finally getting excited to work and we're seeing the results.

I dunno if it got to the news back home
but this week there was a volcano eruption in  the mission.  Volcan Calbuco erupted on Wednesday and from what we hear, the ashes are getting everywhere in the mission, besides Valdivia.  What are the chances, finally when something exciting happens, we're in the only place that doesn't get interesting haha.

Things are going well with the mom of the recent convert I was talking about last week.  There have been a few difficulties between her and her son this week, but yesterday we had a great lesson with them.  Really, I haven't felt the spirit so strong many times in my mission, It was great, we were able to convince them to go to a conference with the temple president from Santiago.  It was awesome and her son even took her up to meet him after the conference.

Well I can't really think of much else to mention, sorry it's a bit of a lame email this week.  Thanks everyone for everything, talk to you next week.

Love, Elder Dower