Week 55 Antofagasta

March 26, 2016

Extremely Busy Week!

So as you all know, we have transfers Monday. I have been working on and planning the transfers all week. It is extremely complicated because I have to not only buy bus tickets for everyone, but I have to organize it so that no one travels alone and so that Elders don´t sit next to Sister missionaries. It has been kind of stressful but I have good news. It is my last time doing it alone. My replacement has been called to the office. His name is Elder Huffstutler. He arrives Monday and I will be training him this next transfer. Finally! I will be going back into the field! I’m seriously so excited. Time has gone buy sooo fast in the office. I have really enjoyed my time here but I’m ready to train and be a normal missionary again. I miss being able to work all day in my sector. The office has really helped me see how precious our time is as missionaries. So yeah, this next transfer Ill be training Elder Huffstutler but Elder Morales is still gonna be my normal companion. It was hard being in a trio because I was never used to teaching like that but now it will just be Elder Morales and I in Antofagasta Centro and Elder Walker and Elder Huffstutler will be working in Quito (another ward). I seriously cannot believe I have been in the office for 4 months. President doesn't like to keep Elders in the office for more than 4 Transfers because he wants them to experience more in their mission. 

I have seen so many miracles here and I feel that I have grown spiritually here more than any other sector. It has been a real test of my faith being in the office. Relying on the lord and trusting that he will provide in the little time we have to proselyte. We found a guy named Cristian. I had the privilege of teaching him with an Elder that came to Antofagasta for a day to do some paperwork. We taught him for the first time and invited him to be baptized and he said yes! He does struggle with the word of wisdom but he is very humble and I feel he truly wants to change. He said he would come to church this Sunday so we will see what happens. We had our Zone Conference here in Antofagasta and this time Hermana Dalton prepared the food so we got to just enjoy this one. I learned a lot but one of the things that stuck out the most to me was how powerful the message of The Restoration is. We watched a video of two return missionaries teaching Elder Cook and his wife and by the end of it, they were both crying. It’s true, there is so much power behind this message and every time we teach it as missionaries, I feel the spirit. President extended an invitation to all of us to study lesson 1 and practice it with our companion’s everyday. He says that if we can learn to teach it with power and authority, it is impossible to be unsuccessful. We did a practice lesson today as a companionship and Elder Morales and I taught it to Elder Walker. Even in the practice lesson, the spirit was so strong. We are going to apply it and teach it to everyone! Sometimes I feel so privileged to be a missionary. My view of the mission has changed so much from when I arrived to Chile. Elder Morales and I are going to make this last transfer together our best. We are going to be exactly obedient and we are going to teach everybody... and when I say everybody, I mean EVERYBODY. It’s so easy to share the gospel. I wish I would of been more involved in missionary work growing up. Missionaries are full time teachers, but the members of the church are the full time missionaries. Nothing will stop the work from progressing. So lets help it progress faster. Invite your friends to church! Invite a non-member friend over to the house to have a family home evening! These are things I wish we had done as a family. Things that truly do have eternal significance. I pray for you all daily and I know my prayers will not go unanswered. I know this church is true, I testify that Jesus Christ is and will always be our savior.

" Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." 
 - John 14:6

There is a reason I chose this as my mission scripture.

I love you all and until next week!

Elder Spanbauer

Familia Dominguez!!!

Week 54 Antofagasta

March 19, 2016

So honestly, this last week was crazy. We had the conferences in the North of the mission this time and it was awesome. We first went to Iquique and stayed with some Elders that I had met in Vallenar clear back when I started the mission. The following day we went to Alto Hospicio (a small town right above Iquique) and had a conference there. Right after the conference we drove to Arica. I was so excited to go to Arica again. Arica has a special place in my heart. We arrived late at night and had to do some last minute shopping for the conferences and then we stayed with the Elders in Las Acacias. My old sector! We had to park the van at the Las Acacias church and Bishop was there! I got to talk to him a little and that was super cool. We woke up extremely early the following morning and left to prepare for the conference. Everything went well and I carved a watermelon! I think I finally found my true talent! hahaha just kidding. Ill send a picture of how it turned out! Not being in the office stressed me out because I knew I was going to come back with a ton of work to do but everything went well with the conferences. Also, when I was in Arica, I was able to go visit Alan (a 17 year old kid from the Las Acacias ward). He was one of my good buddies when I was serving in Arica. I got to see his family and it was awesome! We also went to go visit a young recent convert named Fernando that we taught in Arica. He was seriously like one of my best friends in that ward. Out of all the perks of being in the office, this is by far the best. The chance to visit old sectors and see people I had met and taught and to see their progress as members or investigators in the church. There is a good chance that those were my last conferences that I will participate in the office. It was seriously like a road trip with a bunch of friends. I have a ton of work to do now and I will be doing a lot of it today even though it is my Pday. Sorry this one is short but I will try to write more next week. Here are a few pics from our road trip in the north of Chile.

Love you guys!

Elder Spanbauer

Here is the Watermelon I carved for Arica!

Elder Hart and I being blown to bits

The Office and the Assistants

"El Gigante de Tarapacá"

So funny story, President told us to stop by this tourist attraction called "The Giant of Tarapacá" and he said it was amazing. We thought we were going to see some awesome sculpture that was made hundreds of years ago but we arrived and saw this.... We laughed sooo hard because it looks like a 5 year old drew a stick figure in the sand! hahaha but all jokes aside it was kind of cool because it is huge.

Week 53 Antofagasta

March 12, 2016

So as stated above, this last week passed by in the blink of an eye. We had conferences this week in the South of the mission. Monday we worked in the office until 5pm and then went to the store to buy all of the food that would be needed in the conferences. We then loaded up the van and went to bed. Tuesday we woke up at 5:30am to be on the road by 6:30am. We had our first conference in Chañaral which is about 4 hours from Antofagasta. We arrived a little late but there aren’t that many missionaries in Chañaral so it wasn’t a ton of work. As office workers, we provide the food at every conference. We made sandwiches this time! I was able to put my sandwich art to work. I Guess working at Subway really paid off hahaha. Everything went well in Chañaral and we were on the road to Copiapó by 4:00pm. We arrived to Copiapó at about 6:30pm and bought everything for the conference that would be held the next day. We then had time to do divisions with the Elders that we stayed the night with and that was a cool experience. The next morning we had the conference and we had to serve a total of 40ish people so it was a lot more work. We managed to finish it all in time and everything turned out good. Later that day we had the opportunity to do divisions in Elder Walker´s old sector Copayapu. Elder Morales and I went with Elder Jara and Elder Walker went with his trainee Elder Reyes. It too was a very cool experience. The next morning we hit the road again to drive 2.5 hours south to Vallenar! That’s right, my birthplace! I was so excited to visit Vallenar again. We had the conference and again, everything turned out okay. The best part of it all though was the fact that I got to work in my old sector! Elder Walker and I worked with Elder Perez and Elder Morales worked with Elder Cloward. The very first family I wanted to see was the Dominguez family! They seriously changed my life and they were all stunned to see me again! I remember when Emmy (The 4 year old) saw me, she had the biggest smile on her face hahaha. She was always my best friend hahahaha. I talked with them for a while and then had to say goodbye. After, we visited a few other people but they weren’t home. Later at night I went to visit Jonathan and Roxana! Remember them???? I passed by and he opened the door in shock. He then says "Spanbauer ha vuelto!!!" Which means Spanbauer has returned! hahaha it was priceless. He invited us in and I asked if we could share a message. Now if you guys remember, Jonathan was the one that saw a bunch of stuff on the internet and stopped progressing. We had an extremely powerful lesson with him and I can honestly say that I have never shared my testimony with more love and sincerity than in that lesson. I know that they both felt the spirit and they both committed to pray that night if the church was true. Will they progress? I don’t know, I hope but I do know that something was felt there that night that they wont forget. I am so grateful to have shared with them again and I truly am starting to feel how the savior felt for the people he taught. I truly believe what Elder Holland says, that the mission lets one experience a little bit of what the Savior felt while on earth. Whether that is pain, frustration, heartache, or peace, love and joy... one will experience a little bit of it all in the mission field. I know my Savior, the very Son of God lives and has provided a way so that we can return to our father´s presence. Until next week! Chao.

Elder Spanbauer

On another note, on our way back to Antofagasta, we were able to visit "La Mina San José"

This was the mine where the 33 miners were trapped for 70 days. All 33 of them made it out alive by a tiny capsule. I remember hearing about it on the news but to actually be there and touch the capsule that saved them was an amazing experience. Here are some photos!

Office team with the capsule that rescued 33 miners that were trapped for 70 days.

The 33 Flags Representing The 33 Survivors

The Office Pic

The Office Pic

Familia Dominguez!!!

Hermano Carrizo!!!

Week 52 Antofagasta

Mar 5, 2016

Wow, this week flew by so fast. Its crazy because time already flies by in the mission but in the office I am convinced it goes twice as fast. I cannot believe I have been in Antofagasta for almost 4 months now. This was a busy week because we had leadership counsel with all of the Zone Leaders. I had to buy all of their bus tickets to get here to Antofagasta. It was a little bit of a battle but I did it. I have gotten super good at multitasking. It’s kind of funny because President will send an email and say I need this and we have to find a way to do it. For example, this week he called me and said "Elder Spanbauer, the Easter initiative card template has come in and I need 30,000 more of them.... oh, and I need them in 2 days". We all started searching nearby printing companies and we found one! He said he could get half of them printed by the time we needed them. In the end, we got all 30,000 to President and he was happy. I love the office adventures hahaha. This week we taught Alan again and his wife. They both said they want to get baptized but they want to prepare themselves a little more first. We are going to put a date with them in the next lesson we have with them so they have a goal to work towards. Also, we did divisions again and I worked with Elder Walker for the day. We taught a 20-year-old kid that is super catholic.... He had a ton of statues in his house and it was hard teaching a lesson with that virgin Marry statue staring at me the whole time... hahaha. We have found several new people to teach as well. Yesterday, just about everyone we talked to was interested in us teaching them. It was cool to see how the lord puts people in our paths. The mission is amazing and I will go to my grave saying the same thing. The lord truly does make weak things strong. I remember when I had first arrived to the mission field it was always about me. What do I want? I am starting to feel some of the same feelings Christ must have felt as he taught and performed miracles here on the earth. I am convinced Jesus Christ was the happiest man that ever lived because true joy, the kind that can’t be extinguished comes from him. There is nothing more powerful than a simple testimony that comes from the heart, or better yet, the soul. I know that my savior lives and I will serve him until the end.

(Mosiah 16:9)

“He is the light and life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened”

Our District

Lunch again with the Familia Matamoros

Week 51 Antofagasta

Feb 27, 2016

This week was so awesome for many reasons.... The first being that we got to watch a broadcast of Elder Bednar and it was so good. I have never learned so much in just 3 hours. He has inspired me to be a better missionary but more than just that, a better disciple of Christ. One thing he said that I really liked was that many times as members we have the tendency to ask in our prayers for things rather than ask how we can receive those things. It’s so true! I often find myself asking for miracles when really I should be praying to be able to recognize those opportunities when they come. I realized that when we pray, its not a simple thank you for, please bless...etc. Its what can I do to receive this blessing or better yet, I promise I will do everything in my power in order to receive this blessing. Faith requires action. He gave a classic example of this when we pray in sacrament that the people that weren't able to come can come the following week. This is a completely faithless prayer he said, because it requires nothing on our part. We are simply praying that those people will magically come the following week..... That does not work. He said we should be praying and promising that we, as members of the church will go to every single one of these people´s houses on our way home from church and ask why they weren't in church. He said what we should be praying for is that we don´t all go to the same house. hahaha. I really liked this example because it’s completely true... We need to pray with faith and with the determination that we will act in order to receive. Elder Bednar really helped me humble myself in this aspect. My invitation to you all is to pray with faith and with a willing heart to act on the answer you are given. Nephi did not murmur when he was instructed to build a boat... he prayed to know how he should make it and how he could obtain the tools to construct it. Joseph Smith did not just pray to know which church was true, he prayed to know which church he should join. These are two awesome examples of praying with and the desire to act. We have been having success in our sector. We found a guy named Alan and he is from Bolivia. He is one of the most humble guys I have ever met. When we contacted him in the street we shared a little bit of what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. He was particularly interested in baptism. Later this week we had the opportunity to teach him and he is awesome! He accepted the invitation to be baptized. We still haven´t put a date with him yet but he is definitely prepared by the lord. We have been working a ton with members to obtain references. Yesterday we had a cool activity of talents. Every organization performed a dance. The priest´s quorum did a song from queen and it was soooo funny. The young men did back street boys. It was probably the coolest activity I have had in the mission. I seriously love the mission guys. I pray that you are all progressing as much as I am. I love sharing my testimony with you guys because it was something I never did before the mission. The office is going well. I haven't been too stressed so that’s good. I actually like the challenge of having to complete with my responsibilities in the office and in our sector at the same time. It’s a test of our faith. Many think that the elders in the office don’t baptize because they don’t have much time to work but that is completely false. Everything depends on ones dedication and consecration and trust in the lord. I love you all and I loved the photos and video you sent! hahaha Until next week!

Elder Parker Spanbauer

Here are the young girls I taught in Arica that got baptized last week! The parents will be getting baptized soon!

The Office Staff

Elder Morals (Center), Elder Spanbauer (Left), Elder Walker (Back)

Ward Activity of Talents

Meet Mauricio, He always does divisions with us hahaha and does a very good impression of Queen!

 

 

 

Week 50 Antofagasta

Feb 19, 2016

Hello Everyone!

So this week was super awesome! We found several new investigators! We have been trying to apply the principle "Hablar con Todos" (Talk with Everyone) and we have definitely without a doubt seen a difference. As a companionship we are really striving to be 100% obedient to the mission schedule. For example, leave and return on time, wake up on time, do exercise everyday, study everyday....ect. We have definitely seen the fruits of just doing these simple things. We designed a plan of consecration. Some might say being in a Trio is hard and lame but we have come to see that it is awesome because we can do divisions with members everyday. This helps us a ton because we only have so much time to work in our sector as it is, so having two companionship working in the same sector helps us a ton. We had some very powerful lessons with a few investigators where the spirit was felt super strong. I am learning to recognize the spirit better, which was one of my goals before leaving on the mission. I have come to know of without a doubt that Jesus Christ is our savior. I have developed a love for the people of Chile and now I feel as if I am one of them. I thank my heavenly father everyday for allowing me to be a missionary and a messenger of his eternal truths. 

This week I drove for the first time in my mission! I am one of the few missionaries that gets to drive in their missions... well at least in South America. I drove the new ford ranger we have because no one else knows how to drive stick. Life in the office is great... I am ahead on a lot of things because we have Zone Conferences in a few weeks and we are going to be traveling the mission. I am so excited! President trusts in us so much, it amazes me haha because we are just 19-20 year old kids! haha Yesterday we had an activity in the church. It was a karaoke activity but Elder Walker and I didn’t know any of the songs because they were Old Spanish songs. Our ward is so freaking awesome. Today we have a BBQ with some members in the ward so I gotta make this email quick. Don’t have many photos this week but hopefully next week I will have more. President gave us a selfie stick hahaha Love you all and Don’t Be Basic!

Elder Spanbauer

Elder Morales and Me in the office

Elder Walker, Elder Morales, and Me

Today we had an awesome BBQ with the Matamoros Family! This family is seriously so cool. Here are some photos!