Week 14: Loco en Curico

25 September 2017



Hermana Tapiero and Hermana Eibert--The Celebrations were Amazing and Delicious!

Tug of War Activity at the Ward Independence Day BBQ--Married Vs. Singles.
They broke the rope!

Hey everyone! This week has been a little crazy! With the holidays and everything, we have been busy. 

I am going to write quickly and sloppily so I have time to chat with my family today (hoy es especial hahaha), so sorry for that! 

Funny for the week: The Chileans drink a lot of juice and my companion is learning English. She tried to say "I like juice" but says basically "I like Jews" all the time now. Its okay, I laugh and she tries harder and I say that "I like Jews too."  Which is the truth, since my best friend is Jewish. We are also teaching a Jewish man right now, (he is great) which made it all the more funnier. 

Also, we now know the difference between dogs with homes and dogs in the street by which dogs are wearing clothes. It's super funny to see a dog wearing an ¨FBI¨ vest. 

I have also tried to teach a lesson in English and have an interview in English, and I can't. Literally, the languages are fighting. I'm not forgetting English, but we never speak it here, for obvious reasons, and the languages fight. Spanglish is mi fuerza. 

We had another earthquake and earthquakes are one thing, but earthquakes in the middle of the night are another. Can't say I wasn't freaking out at 4 in the morning when everything started to shake, but my companion just told me to be tranquilla and rolled over and went back to sleep. Totally normal here--haha. 

Thought for the week: 

 The Miracle of Oberde

My first week here in Curico we were knocking doors. We decided to go and look for an old investigator and visit them. They weren't home but when we were yelling hallo at their house, a neighboring house opened the door and out stepped Oberde. He came over to us and wanted to hear what we believed and so on. We ended up teaching him every other day for the first couple weeks. We were completely baffled because he came to us. A miracle. His Spanish is good, but not great, though he lived in the Dominican Republic for a little while between Haiti and Chile. 

His faith is astounding to all of us. He walks to church every week from his house, which is almost a 45 minutes to an hour of walking, rain or shine, freezing or not. He comes every week and never misses a lesson. He asks questions, he reads a chapter from all scripture every night and writes every question he has and asks us. His growth and progress have blown us away. He was so ready for baptism and to see how happy he was, I know why I am here. 

A mission is hard, but people like Oberde are why I am here. What a joy it has been to teach him and to watch his growth. He is an example to me and I know also that the Lord is working in his own way preparing people to receive the truth. We are only instruments in His hands and as missionaries we have front row seats to miracles. 

Enjoy the pictures from the craziness here in Curico--from Baptism, my birthday celebrations, to a weird plant cactus thing. And thanks for all the birthday love!! 20 is strange, yikes--haha! 

Love you all, have a great week!!

 Con amor, 

 

Hermana Eibert

He said he got some "American" cakes that were used for birthdays....
turns out they were TWINKIES!!

Elder Gonzalez (district leader) lighting a birthday flame to celebrate Hermana Eibert's 20th birthday.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

  



 



The Curico District from Elder Gonzalez' view

Hermana Tapiero flying kites.

 

Curico District--P-day on 25 September 2017
 

A type of cactus seen on P-day hike to celebrate a
birthday and fly kites.
 





Week 13: What day is it?

I know what day it is, but I cannot believe that is September and I can't believe I hit my 3 month mark this week. The time passes so quickly. Surprised that the seasons are already changing. It is starting to warm up here in Curico. 

 

Today is the 18th of September, which is Independence Day for Chile, and the Chileans know how to party! I love the culture here and the people. I have had many people ask me what the dances are like in America and what our traditional dances and traditions, in general, are.   Umm....They don't believe me when I say that Americans, in general, can't dance--hahaha. Unless you count the chicken dance or the cupid shuffle--haha. 

Funny: I am affectionately known as Hermana Iceberg, officially, by the ward and some of our investigators. Its the funniest thing ever, simply because they can't say Eibert. I am okay with it. 

My thought for the week: 

Just a quote--

¨Do not pray for tasks equal to your ability, but pray for the abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.¨

--President Monson 

Food for thought. Sorry it's short this week and no pictures. But I love you all. Have a great week!!

 

Lots of love from Curico!
Con amor, 

Hermana Eibert

Week 12: Read this One to the End

 

If you have asked to receive my emails, and are going to read anything at all while I am here in Chile, please read this one to the end. 

 

HOLA FRIENDS AND FAMILY--

I am happy and healthy and doing so well here in Chile. 

This week was so fun. I learned and did a lot. We attended a Stake activity where each ward performed a dance from a specific region here and Chile. It was amazing. I love the culture here and the people even more. And I adore this ward, the members here. It is crazy how much my love grows for the people every single day. 

 

 

This morning we, as a zone, learned to dance the Cueca. It is fun and we had a blast. I am excited because next Monday is the 18th of September, which happens to be the day of independence for Chile. And I think it is even bigger than our 4th of July. I am excited to see the dancing, the dresses, the food, the people. The flags are everywhere and it's so cool. The music is so fun and upbeat and everyone is happy.

 

Ya´ll should look of Philipians chapter 3 verse 2 and laugh with me. I carry rocks in my pocket all the time. 

My thoughts this week: 

So I read this book. It is one of my favorites. It is full of adventure and action and love and redemption and everything, so many cool stories. It is full of people of different types--the good, the bad, the people we can relate with and people our hearts can ache for, or whose actions or thoughts we can ponder on. This book is a literary feat unlike any other. It is full of complex and extensive literary devices and is beautifully written. And it would be a crime not to mention that there are words of widsom, little gems, hidden on every single page. Any question you have, any concern, can be answered through reading this book. You want to better your relationship with someone, spouse, brother, sister, child, friend, this book can help with that. You want to learn a language? Heck, read this book. I am reading it in Spanish and I know its one of the big reasons I am not struggling with the language. My Latina companion is reading it in english and she is learning English very fast (in CHILE!) I never get tired of reading it, and its hard for me to find a book like that. This book is fantastic. It is ¨teeming with literary and Semitic complexity¨yet is simple and easy to understand. But it is more than adventure or cool stories. It is more than a literary masterpiece, it is more than beautiful poetic words, more than marriage or parenting advice. It is more than merely a book. 

Fun Fact: 

¨For (187) years this book has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern history. And still it stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born and parroted, and have died- from Ethan Smith to Solomon Spalding, to deranged paranoid to cunning genius. None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book have ever withstood examination.¨

This book is The Book of Mormon. Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It is the word of God given for us in this day. I have read this book. I know that it is true, every word of it. Every single one of us is capable of knowing if we will but read it. Perhaps you can imagine how incredibly frustrating it is when we put the answers, the key to it all, in the hands of the people and they won't read. 

If you are foolish enough to think Joseph Smith (murdered prophet and humble young man with almost no education) wrote this set of scripture, if you are foolish enough to think this book of pure goodness and pure testimony of our Savior, is of the devil, if you are foolish enough to think I would give up 18 months of my life, my time, my family, my educaion, to teach people about a book I didn't know was true, I don't know what to tell you. It is true. 

Shifting gears a bit. The Bible is the word of God too. The Bibe is amazing. It is important. I'm currently rereading it, almost finished with the New Testament. However, to say the BIble is perfect, or that it is, no more from God, is ignorant. The Bible itself references many, many other books that are missing. The text has been changed, altered, with time and people. If you know your history, you know that it was sewn and stitched together to fit the needs of certain people. The Bible, as far as it is translated correctly, is the word of God. I love the Bible, and I love the Book of Mormon. 

The Book of Mormon is for us. It is meant for our days. It ¨was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful¨. Our Heavenly Father, our God, loves us. His love, His words, His guidance has not ceased. How are the people of old who needed prophets and scripture any different than us? Does God love them more? No. God is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow. 

I know God loves us. I know He is our Heavenly Father and I know He hasn't left us to ourselves in this crazy world. I know the Book of Mormon is true. It is true or it is not and we can ask God. He answers our prayers, he isn't silent. He is waiting for us to do our part and to ask. I have read this book and I have prayed about it. I know if you will but read it, your life will change and you will know too. 

I want to echo the words again of Elder Holland: ¨I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world...That the Book of Mormon is true.¨

I want to challenge you all, member and non-member alike, to read the Book of Mormon. If you have a phone in your pocket (or in your hand-haha) you can read it. I promise you if you read it you will be happier, you will be closer to God, you will know there is a God. It will change you. I say these things and ask these things because I have so much love for each and every one of you. I say these things because I know they are true. I am here in Chile because I know it is true. 

I love you all, from the bottom of my heart. Friends and family. I wanted to share this joy, these truths with you all this week. 

Have a fantastic and blessed week. 

Con amor,

Hermana Eibert 

Week 11: Cambiooooooooooooooo (Change)

Hermana Tapiero and Hermana Eibert with their bikes in Curico, Chile

Hola!! 

I hope you are all having a fantastic week! My week was full of tender mercies. We had a reunion and meeting for all the newbies and what a blessing it was to see all my MTC people. Shout out to the moms of Hermanas Peters, Knight, Leyvas and Harding. You have some pretty awesome daughters who I have so much love for! They are amazing missionaries and amazing people and I would be so lucky to be companions with any of them in the future! 

I always share my funny mistakes with Spanish, but I will tell you a funny mistake of my companion! She's learning English and she kept saying the phrase ¨break your hair¨over and over...break your hair break your hair break your hair! She meant heart...but that's okay, breaking hair is fun too. 

Cambios are here! Or transfers for all you people experienced with English missionaries! I will be staying in Curico...probably until December--hahaha. My trainer stays too!! Gonna be over 9 months in Curico for her, which for those of you who don't know, is a lot of time for a missionary. And she's only ever been here in Curico, did her own training her and is now training me. She is awesome and I am blessed to have her as a trainer. 

But today I wanted to share a thought over a different time of change. 

I was reading both stories this last week, those of Alma the younger and Saul in the New Testament. Both were awful and evil. They were ¨very wicked¨and ¨stealing away the hearts¨ of the people and ¨causing dissension¨and ¨seeking to destroy¨all that was good. But we also know both of these men became great prophets. What happened?

As a missionary we get to see this change, these miracles all the time and what a blessing this is. The key to this change is the Atonement and Christ. Through Christ, change beyond our wildest dreams, beyond our imagination or comprehension, is pòssible. Our hearts, our minds, our habits, our thoughts, our desires, our everything is capable of change. Think of these men, ¨the vilest of sinners¨, and how they changed to kind, gentle, powerful, great, wise, righetous and good men. Men who were chosen vessels. We all have this type of potential. None of us are vile and evil like they were, but we all have room for improvement and we all have our struggles, our trials, our weaknesses. But when we apply the atonement and we rely on Christ, weak things can become strong (Ether 12:27) and we have a limitless potential.  

I am living proof of this change. I see the change in my life. When we feel stuck and like nothing can change, there is always hope, always light. There is always a hand reached out to catch us when we are falling. We are so loved and blessed beyond what we know. 

Thank you for all your emails and love!! As always, lots of love from Chile!! Have a great week!

Con amor, 

Hermana Eibert

 

PS. I was a missionary in Dublin for a day....Shout-out to my mom and her mission in Ireland!! 

 

And a shot in Curico.

A view from the Hermanas Apartment window