Tierra Amarilla

New residence in Tierra Amarilla

Sept 19,2016

Hello everyone!!

I finally made it to my new area and am just starting to get back into the groove of things after that super long bus ride from Arica. A little bit about this town is that it is super small and super rural. Like when people think about small South American villages, that is just about where I am right now. It is a huge change from what I am used to. Up until this town, I have always been inside of big cities. But here there are still a decent amount of people and just about everyone knows each other. The town is surrounded by 3 different mines. While I was talking with some miners that work in them, they told me that there is city of tunnels underneath the town. In the church, there were only 20 people that went, and my companion says that is pretty normal here. The house that we live in is like back in the middle of nowhere, but the cool part is that it is surrounded by green!

Yesterday and today were huge Chilean holidays. Its like their independence day or our 4th of July. So it was very hard to find people to teach, and today everything is closed. Today we are in the church building to write everyone.  I'm going to keep this short so that my companion can have a turn to write his people too.

Hope this finds everyone well.  

Love y'all,

Elder Brayton

Making friends!

 The following are short notes we received prior to the transfer and just after he arrived.

From Arica:

This morning I am traveling from Arica to Copiapó, more specifically the town/area called Tierra Amarilla. I just saw it on a map yesterday and it looks like a single tiny road running through the desert. But I have heard a lot of good things about the town. I'm looking forward to getting there but in about an hour from now I have to get on a bus and I will be on that bus for the next 18 hours..... But on the bright side I am traveling with other missionaries, one who is a really good friend of mine. I know basically nothing about my new companion except that he only has about 6 months in the mission. 

Also one very new thing for me is that I am a district leader now. I'm not really sure how to explain what that is but I know that I am kind of responsible for the other missionaries around me and that I have to teach and help them out whenever they need it. I am really excited for those new responsibilities that are coming but a little nervous at the same time. 

I will be on the bus for the next 18 hours and I will try to write again tomorrow if I can but it looks like the town that I am going to is super small so I will see about that.

From Tierra Amarilla: 

 It was super long the bus ride, 18 hours. I'm really tired but I'm hanging in there. I am here in my sector with my companion, Elder Gali. He is from Hawaii and super chill. He has just one transfer less than I do in the mission. My district, is all gringos. Out of all of the other missionaries I have the most time in the mission somehow. For the first time in my mission I feel like an old guy. The town here is awesome from what I have seen so far but it is extremely small. It reminds me of Nauvoo because both only have one main road going through town.