Giving palos

I read this letter from Alex and then went to read it to Brian and a little less than half way through, the entire letter disappeared. Does that really happen? I was a little bugged because I can't find it anywhere. I had to have him resend it this week so at least it isn't gone forever! So this week we get two posts but they are really two weeks worth.


Palos is spanish for sticks. Or, to be more correctly interpreted, "hard disciplinary counciling."

So, today was kind of disappointing. We were going to go bowling - the one of two known bowling places in Santiago. We went and their Windows pteranandons had blown out for some reason. We got lame overcooked pasta while we waited, then came back to see if it was going to be fixed. The man said, "Honestly, I simply wouldn't know what to tell you," hefting a stack of old backup discs. "We have some serious problems in the computers."

In the end, we had to still do shopping and write home, so we left the lanes unbowled. I was able to find frozen waffles at the store, so that was a plus.

This week we've been busy. Elder Smart and I have been running around to get our van fixed up, getting apartment common expenditures figured out, figuring out Chilean Service Tax and inflation adjustments on the rent payments, then going out to the sector and being normal missionaries for a whole day. It's a little cognitive dissonance, to be honest. It is hard to focus on progressing as a child of God when so many other voices compete for our attention. You think it'd be easier in the mission, and it is to an extent, for most of them are blocked out. Even so, they're there. They're always there.

The office is a great example. Right now there are six missionaries in the office and in the huge apartment. There are the assistants (Elder Lopez and Elder Jones), the Secretary (Elder Spencer), the new Secretary Trainee (Elder Gimenez), the Financier (Me), and the "Quartermaster" (Elder Smart). They are all generally good together, but occasionally things happen. In addition to that, the Office usually knows every funny story that has happened on the mission. Including some stuff that probably shouldn't be passed on. It's hard to see the evil in it when we are teaching people about huge things they aren't doing right like the Word of Wisdom or the Law of Chastity. We are in a situation, like everyone else, that we have to be able to either apply the teachings of Christ, or those of Satan himself. And as we do so, we will take on the image of what we love. Talking in the office these last few days we've decided that you really can see God graven in the countenances of people. It can be seen in the prophet pretty easily, but it doesn't end there. One of the people I noticed it in first was Bishop North. In my ward now I can see it evidently in my Bishop here, and in his daughters. It's on our leader to varying degrees. President King has a lot of it too. Do you know what I mean?

(Interesting note : we've noticed that every person who progresses already has some kind of evidence of those things already.)

Well, I just delete a dumb paragraph here about metaphysical religion. I'm going to just move on.

I think I need you to ask me stuff because I don't know what to write about anymore. I'm just trying to figure out my life and stuff. I am now 16 months into the mission - in my second-to-last stage of the mission:

0-4

Young - knows nothing

4-8

Starting to know something, but still kind of a sheep

8-12

Capable of working a sector; knows stuff

12-16

Experienced. Probably a leader by now. Can get success anywhere

16-20

Old. Seeing the end. Knows everyone in the mission, has had every training in the manual before. Occasionally has to really try hard to learn new things in meetings. Teaches fairly regularly

20-24

Very old. Trying to ignore the terrible end. Usually a high leader, teaches much more to others than missionaries teach him

As you can see, there I am. I have been putting down some goals - let me know what you think.

1. Be the living embodiment of the Scout Law, and of Love
2. Absolutely give in to the will of God as far as I can understand it

I need help quantifying these. Any ideas?

Random ending now - Go!

Love,

Elder A Conrad Crist