YUM, Root Beer

Hey Everyone!

Hope everyone has had a great week!  I am currently struggling to type on a computer considering the fact that my fingers are freezing! Winter has definitely arrived here in the south of Chile and I am honestly not looking forward to it if it is already this cold.  I am quite envious of those of you who are heading into spring and summer right now because I feel like I haven't had a real summer since I left home, probably because I haven't haha.

We've had another interesting week down here in Rio Bueno.  Elder Walker and I have decided that it has seriously been the strangest cambio either of us have had.  Last week on Monday we went to Osorno to get his second visa started (visas last for a year so each of us will need two in the mission).  We got to hang out in the mall there which was pretty wierd to have a mall down here that is basically the same as the one that I worked in for a year and a half back home.  We also went to a place called Jumbo which is the best supermarket in Chile because it has ROOT BEER, DR PEPPER AND MACARONI AND CHEESE.  I never thought I'd be so excited to taste those again but after over nine months of not having that, it tasted amazing.  Wednesday, Elder Walker had to go north to a city called Valdivia to visit the mission foot doctor so I had to stay in La Union on an exchange with Elder Parsons which was fun.  Saturday, finally, after two weeks, we got our hot water heater fixed.  I must say, that shower was the best I've ever felt in my life.  It's amazing what a nice, hot shower can do to make you feel so much better about everything, my companion and I were on a positivity high all day haha.

As far as investigators go, its been a pretty slow week.  Hernan didn't come to sacrament meeting even though we had talked with them the night before and they said they were all good to go.  We couldn't find JP all week long so we're not sure what has happened to him.  It's been pretty frustrating, but I'm trying to look more positively at everything.  In the end, we can't control the actions of others, part of the plan of salvation is the gift of agency.  I've realized that really, the only thing we can really control in life is ourselves.  The only thing we have control over is how we are going to change to becomse more like Christ.  If we can do that we will be able to respond to any situation in the right way.  I've realized that Preach My Gospel is for just that.  To help us as missionaries to be able to develop the skills and talents that we need to do our job.

Is school really almost over? That's crazy!  I've really almost been gone for an entire school year haha. I got the list of missionaries from Dad, that crazy how many there are all of a sudden, and I know almost all of them haha.

Glad everyone's doing well.  I think its funny that both me and Madi do better when you don't come haha because I always felt better when you and Dad were there, not sure whats up with that.

Ash is swimming? Somebody needs to start biking and then we'll have a nice triathlon team in the family haha.

We did get the water heater fixed which felt fantastic.  We actually have a little electrical water heater to make hot chocolate and stuff which we used to heat water and then pour it on ourselves while it was broken but it wasn't the same haha.

I have some pictures to send but for some reason its not working on this computer.  I think it needs to be google chrome instead of internet explorer to be able to do it.  I'll try again next week!  Haven't gotten the package yet but we have district meeting tomorrow so the zone leaders might bring it then.


Thanks to everyone for your love and support, it means more than you will ever know.  I love you all, have a great week!

Elder Dower