Popito!

Elder Palpa heading to Copiapo

Well, this week has to be one that I will not forget anytime soon. I'm not even sure where to start but I am going to save the most exiting for last! I´ll start off by saying that Elder Palpa is leaving this cambio (transfer) and going to Copiapo, so I have already put him on his bus and he has 20 hours before he gets there. 

Sunday, he gave a farewell talk and we invited basically every person that we had ever talked to, to come to church to hear him speak. The church was FULL of investigators and less active members. And now we have a good handful of people that are ready to get baptized within the next month or so, so I am really exited for the progress of them. 

One bad thing that happened this week was in the process of helping Christofer change and get ready for baptism, he realized that it would be impossible to change if he was still living in his past so he talked to his boss, his wife, and his friends here and he has decided to leave Arica to look for his change in a city further south,( like 25 hours south). When he told us about his decision to leave he cried, I cried, and his family too. And even though it is sad, I support him absolutely 100% , and I told him this too, because of how much his life is going to change for the better and how in just 1 or 2 years he is going to look back and realize how much has changed for the better because of the decisions that he is making now and the sacrifices that he is making for his wife and son.But he has promised me to find some other missionaries down there. 

This next Monday we are going to Lago Chungara! But to replace my companion, I am getting a new missionary! That's right! I'm going to train a new missionary and I can't even begin to describe how happy I am. So, tomorrow I take a bus to Antofagasta to go and bring my comp back to Arica (24 hours round trip) And for whatever reason a missionary term for training is to say that you are having a kid, I think it's really funny that I'm going to be a Popito the same week of Fathers Day!!

Lots of love from Chile and pray for my Hijto(son) lol 

Elder Brayton

Lago (Lake) Chungara

Guessing this is a kind of scooter since I don't see pedals.

A week to explore!

Conquering the island!

Hi Everyone!!

Right now we are going out with one of our investigators to hang out with him and meet his family. But everything is awesome here! This week is President Dalton's last week as president and this time next week we will have a Chileno president. So this week we have a conference with Dalton as a farewell. I think but he doesn't actually leave Chile until July because he has to train the new president. Then, right after we are going to have more conferences to meet the new bossman. This next cambio I really want to train a new missionary and I have a feeling that I might do just that!! I hope that I get a Colombian comp to train!! That would be sweet! This past week we broke the record for attendance in the ward. We had 164 where usually it is in the 120´s and 130´s! So now the bishop is super happy with us, so he offered to take us out to eat somewhere nice one of these Mondays. 

That's about it.... we did do service this week and it was construction and the guy that we were helping just kept saying, dang you gringos must love to work, because I was working super fast! Here are some cool photos from this week! We explored and island, found a cave, I found a sand artist in downtown and after talking to him for a bit he was like, watch what I can draw! The restaurant is a sweet hidden spot in the corner of another sector that me a Elder Crabtree found and so we decided to have a little bro date during intercambios.

Love y'all so much!!! 

Elder Brayton

Elder Brayton inside the cave. 

Running on island

Some things never change...

Sidewalk artist

Positive Peer Pressure

Hello! So as this week has been unfolding, we have had lots of
opportunities to teach youth not of the church and to spend time with some of the recent coverts that are also youth. The think that Elder Bednar promised in the training meeting back in January or February was that he said that the future of the church is with the youth in South America and that if we focus on working more with them then we will see a direct result in the work and in the investigators. Or something like that anyways. But as we have been having lessons with youth and gathering together in groups to help them strengthen each other. And during one of the lessons, I just sat
back to looked at everyone and what they were doing and how they were all acting and I remembered the promise of Elder Bednar. And I'm not really sure what to call it in Spanish but I have been calling it the positive peer pressure plan. And that is what it is! Before whenever I thought of peer pressure, it always came with a negative connotation.
But just like everything, there is a good side and a bad side. And that, here especially, it is hard for these kids to make good decisions and strive for better when they always see the negative. And I have seen some amazing friendships come from doing lessons like this. Just today for our p day we went out to eat with 2 recent converts that live here in Arica and a member that all she wants to do is to serve a mission. 

Okay, I'm out of time because we got to the cyber late but I will send photos next week!! Everyone take care!!
Love,
Elder Brayton