Chorrillana!

I love that these missionaries get to learn life lessons and they do it under the guidance of of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Who better to lead them in their questions and discussions and all the things they get to do? I can think of no one. I will let the pictures do the talking...Alex is hilarious!



That abomination of a fry plate is called a chorrillana. It´s the municipal food of Melipilla - it does not exist anywhere else. It´s homemade fries, scrambled eggs, hot dogs, and fried onions. (I know how to make unbelievable fried onions now, by the way.) If you eat a good sized one, you don´t have to eat for two days.

Anyway, it´s been a good week. Changes are coming up. Our numbers are going nuts.

Our Gospel Principles teacher gave a perspective-changing lesson on Sunday that confirmed everything I´d ever thought about faith, and added some. Faith has always been the hardest thing for me in the Gospel, so you´ll have to appreciate how much this means to me.

He said something very interesting that sums up everything. He said "Tons of people believe in Christ. That doesn´t get you to salvation. The Catholic idea is "I believe in Christ." Not so many people believe Christ.
^
(and pay attention that I put nothing in between here)

"That is what people don´t have. That´s what Jesus asks of people. It says in James - ´The devils believe in Him too.´"

That. That is what I´ve never been able to articulate about faith. I love in Bruce Almighty when Morgan Freeman says, "Parting the soup was a magic trick." Faith doesn´t let us do magic tricks. It´s not the Force. But at the same time, if you believe Christ, and you´ve heard what he says, you know he´ll support you. It´s not so much that faith itself moves mountains. It´s faith and trust in God to the point where there´s a sufficient mutual trust that I ask him to move it for some good reason, and he does it.

Our leading investigators had a little problem, though. The husband drank again pretty hard. He is really pretty compromised to his problem. He tried to explain that they have it to him for free, etc, but he just ended up crying. We decided that his wife would continue on and be baptized the fourth of June as an example to him. She, on the other hand, is pretty exciting as an investigator. She told us that she wantes to hurry so she can get a calling to teach or give a talk or something. She wishes we could go to their house every day to teach them. She´s one of those investigators you know are going to make a big difference in the future of the Branch. If they weren´t so dang poor... We´re talking "we´re going to buy cereal this week as a treat" kind of poor. I think it could be partly responsible for their humility. It´s not the first time I´m seen a scripture fulfilled in the mission; Alma got it pretty well.

Get that patriarchal blessing.

Anyway, what do we learn from this$ (The question mark key is dead.) Keep moving. One of the biggest things I´ve learned in the mission is that if you keep moving, things get better, until you can look back and realize it wasn´t that bad and you may even have learned something.

In other news, I´m trying to teach English to Elder Silva and it is extremely difficult. I can barely make sense of it to myself. Why do you put "es" on "does" and not "dos"$ I don´t get it. English is insane. Spanish is very, very exceptionless on the whole. English is an exception. Have you ever realized that almost every verb in English is irregular$ Sing - sang - sung. Do - did - done. Is/are - was/were - been. Well flip, Kip.

Imagine explaining how to tie your shoes with only words. Times a hundred. That´s kind of what it´s like.

Get that patriarchal blessing.

Love and stuff,
Elder A Conrad Crist
Occasionally good missionary


Much excitement for the package.

Find me 100 pushups on one page somehow so I can print it please! If you do, I´ll send a package home!