CRAZY WEEK!

Hola from Vina del Mar

This week was probably the craziest of them all.  I am currently writing you from the center of vina but that's not my sector Ill tell you exactly what went on later on.  Monday we played soccer with anb investigator in the church.  That was fun.  Tuesday we had a conference in Illapel and we had to wake up at 6 and take a bus to make it in time over there,  The conference was really good.  We watched a really good devotional about doing the things for the right reason.  I forget who it was by but it was really good.  Tuesday night I got the call that I was leaving the next day.  I had to wake up at 6 and go over and pack and get ready to go and carry all my bags about 5 km up hill to the bus station cause we couldn't find anyone to give us a ride.  I got on the bus for 4 hours and headed to vina for the change meeting.  

I got assigned to Cabildo which is just a little south of Los VIlos so I had to take another bus for over 3 hours north to my sector. We were supposed to have a baptism Friday but Thursday, the day before, she changed her mind and backed out of it and Wednesday shes moving back to Venezuela.  Friday we had intercambios with the Elders in La Ligua which is a town a little under an hour north of us.  That was pretty fun LaLigua is super nice.  Saturday and Sunday were pretty normal we worked but it was hard to find people because of Valentines day.  

This morning we had to wake up at 6 again to head down to Vina to try to do my Visa because if I don't get it done I'm illegal here in a week.  So we left early got here, had to first try and find the PDI, which is the Chilean version of the FBI, and then head over the the registro civil.  We finally did that and waited in line for almost 2 hours with another missionary from Gilbert Arizona that lives on Elliott and Val Vista, named Elder Mcelhaney.  After two hours in line they told me that I needed a photocopy of my passport.  WE left to go try to find a place that makes photocopies and when we returned the place was closed.  WE then had to trek across vina again to the office of the mission to give them my passport and tomorrow I have to go to la ligua to finish it there.  I'm very stressed.  Luckily my companion is really cool and was very patient.  I was very patient too but on the inside I wanted to explode.  We still have to take the 3 hour bus ride north again today.  

    

My companion is from Peru,  hes fresh out of his training and hes a really good kid.  My sector is about 4 times the size of my last one and the landscape here looks exactly like Arizona.  The town kind of reminds me of a south american version of Flagstaff.  Im doing good right now, lets hope nothing else crazy happens this week.  hahah Hma Ada was the best.  She would randomly use English words when talking with me.  

   

I love you guys and hope you guys have a good week!!!!!  

Elder Gardner