Dear Family, 

2014. Wow what a great number. 14! The Newman number! This is our year ha ha. I am very excited for this year and have great hope and expectations for the things that will happen in it. There is no better way to start a year than as a missionary.  I hope that you all had a great week and that you were able to set goals individually and as prospective families.

While i have been here in Antofagasta the time has gone so incredibly fast. I assume that it has been because of the busyness of our schedule.

On new years eve, the investigating family that is progressing invited us over for a dinner. We had a great Colombian dinner. Pork with BBQ sauce, chicken wrapped in bacon, rice, and a salad. It was some great food.

It was great to celebrate the new year and to think about the blessings and experience i had in 2013 and to welcome 2014 with open arms. I thought a lot this past week about things that i wanted to accomplish and the growth i wanted to see in myself. I made not only spiritual goals but physical/temporal and social/emotional goals. There is great vision and direction in the goals that we set. Without them we will never achieve our true potential. Just like it says in Proverbs 29:18- "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

We had our mission leadership council this week. It was awesome and the meetings that we are having with the mission are getting better every time. We planned this next transfer a little bit throughout the week withe president. Elder Pinto and I are thinking of ideas and planning for this special training that we probably do in February throughout the mission. 

Yesterday was incredible. We have received so many blessings from the Lord. So we are teaching 2 different families right now in our own sector when we have the time to do so. I will explain each one. 

1. Luis, Lucero, Luisa and Juan

This was a family that we found from a reference. The Luis, Luisa and Juan really want to get baptized. We are trying to work with the mom. She is the key. If we can get her than we will have the whole family. Luis shared his testimony in church today. It was amazing. We are working with the parents to try to help them get married. The dad wants to get married but the mom isn't so sure. But we have seen some great progress so far. They come to church every week and are an awesome family. 

2. Rafael and Diana

They are a young couple who have been together for over a year. Diana is the daughter of a recent convert who also gave us the reference of Luis and his family. Diana is pregnant and they are expecting their first child in about 4 months. They all live in the same apartment building. Diana has wanted to be baptized for quite some time, but her and Rafael need to be married. Rafael a couple weeks ago didn't want much to do with us, but he has been progressing little by little. The other day he cut his long hair and now it is short and clean. And yesterday we were teaching the plan of salvation and we talked about marriage at the end and now that he understands the doctrine, of why marriage and eternal families are important. They also came to church today. We have seen miracles with these families.

We have seen great progress in the ward that we are serving in with the other office missionaries. Life is going great. Last night I felt so much happiness and joy. I was so grateful for the miracles that we have seen in this short time since we have worked in our sector. Truly there is no substitute for obedience and striving to live for miracles. Anyways i hope you all had a great week. There is great hope in creating goals and measuring our progress every day to accomplish them. Have a great week. 

Elder Newman

Family, 

Well it was great to talk to you just a few days ago. I had a great time! It was fun to see all of you and be able to see you all together. I don't know why but for some reason that seems like that was more than a few days ago. Since then we worked with a few missionaries and then we worked in the office getting ready for this next month of January 2014! 

Yesterday was our P Day and in the morning we went to do some service for a family that recently moved in. The dad is a recent convert who was baptized in another ward and the mom is less active. They have started to come to our ward, and we went to help some of the ward members build them a bathroom. It was good I got to get some power tools in my hand again. Ha ha i built a little wall for the kids so it is safe on the second floor where they live. They have 3 kids who have not been baptized members of the church. So we are going to be working with the dad. They all came to church today and they are awesome. We hope to have the dad ready soon to receive the Aaronic priesthood so he can baptize his children. We are also teaching another family who is awesome. We taught the parents this last week and they desire to get married and then be baptized. They have two children. Luisa (16) and Juan(8). Luisa is going to be baptized on the 11th of January. They are so great. Such a great family they have been coming to church every week for the last 3. They are progressing very well. We are being incredibly blessed right now. We are pumped for the future.

I am so excited for this next year of 2014. It is such a blessing to be able to start another year, and to have time to reflect upon this past year. We should look back and reflect upon the year, the things that we have learned, the many blessings that we have received. And then expand our vision, set goals, and hit 2014 running. I am stoked for this next year. That is the wonderful blessing of starting another year is that we feel like we are going to start with a clean slate, and that it will be even better than the past year. 

What a great year this last year has been. As i reflect back it has been such a year of learning and growth. Probably more than any year before. I know that this next year holds great things. As much as for me as for you! I know that this is the Lord`s work. And that great things will continue to happen. There are incredible things and blessings that happen every day. We just need to open our eyes and notice them! I love you all! 

Reflect, Learn, Envision, Plan, and Achieve!  Here we go 2014! Just do it!

Elder Newman

Family,

This past week was nuts! The time has gone by so fast. But it was a great week and i am happy with the blessings that we saw. We did an exchange in the beginning of the week with some missionaries from Antofagasta, and then we spent the rest of the time working in our own area and preparing for the zone conference.

Thursday morning we got up really early and then we left to head to the south of the mission. We did 3 different conferences in the south. There were in Chañaral, Copiapó and Vallenar. President asked Elder Pinto and I to share something similar to what we shared in the leadership council. My companion talked some more about the doctrine of Christ and I talked about the importance of goals and planning to help us have success and baptize.  My favorite conference that we had was in copiapó. While we were in each of the zones we worked with the zone leaders that night and then left the next morning to get to the next city for the zone conference. We left on Saturday night from Vallenar in a bus so that we could get to church here in Antofagasta.

We have a family that we are teaching from Columbia, it was a referral that we received from a member. They are so great, we taught the daughter last week with a couple of members and then today the entire family went to church. The parents and then the two children, the little girl is 16 and the other boy is 8. We knew that the whole family was going to go to church and so that is why we took a bus all night long to get here. We arrived here around 8:00 this morning. We were super excited to see this family at church, they loved it and had a bunch of questions. We have an appointment with them tonight. We are stoked! We want to set some baptismal dates for the future.

Anyways great things are happening down here in MCA. When the prophet gave the announcement about the hastening the work of salvation, most of the missionaries had to change the form of the way they are working. Many were not working with members and we saw a decrease in numbers for a little bit, however now things are rising again and great things are happening. Sacrament meeting attendance has increased immensely. Baptisms are rising and the church is growing here. The unity between the wards and the missionaries is great and together the work is hastening.

This last week while studying in the scriptures i found something interesting. Ammon in Alma 26 asks his brothers a question after having completed their missions.

 1 And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?

2 And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?

 3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

He asks his brothers if they have observed the greatest blessing that they themselves have received while serving among the lamanites. There are a few things i learned from this scripture.

1. One of the greatest blessing that we receive while serving the Lord is the change that is wrought within us. As we serve with all of our heart, our nature is changed, and we are changed to become more like the Savior. And having this change brings great joy. Many times we think of the blessings that we receive from service in the kingdom as temporal blessings, or blessings in the family, yet we do not frequently notice the change that is wrought within us. 

2. The change that happens over time as we serve in the kingdom of God is subtle. It is like trying to watch a plant grow. It is not something that we notice day by day but yet over a process of time. It is something that we have to carefully observe and notice. That is why ammon had said to his brethren; Can ye tell? 

Anyways i love you all and pray for you. I am so grateful for your great examples to me of dedicated service in the Kingdom of God. I know that our Savior lives. He is mindful of us, he is pulling with us. He went about inviting everyone to "Be of Good Cheer", for he has overcome the world. Have a great week. 

Elder Newman 

 

Family,

Thanksgiving looked great! I can only imagine all of the yummy food
that you all ate. I am sure that you were stuffed. Ha ha Keira is
looking good up on that horse. The picture reminds me a lot of a
little boy that age who was also on a horse that looked similar. (Me
and Bo) But I am glad that you guys enjoyed your thanksgiving week.
Hope that you don't freeze up there. I imagine it is starting to get
pretty cold.

This week was great. On Monday Tuesday and Wednesday we were in
Calama. We were able to work with them for two days. I worked with
Elder McCusker the second day and his companion on the first. It was
great we had a great exchange. We found some great new investigators
and it was fun to be able to work with Elder McCusker again. On
Wednesday morning we went to one of Elder Villarroel´s old sector to
visit some of his converts and then we left that afternoon. It was a
great few days back up in Calama. That is a special place for me. It
is like it is sacred to me. So many wonderful experiences and people
remain there.

Thursday we had thanksgiving. Ha ha it was awesome! We actually had a
thanksgiving dinner. We went to the mission home and with the Dalton's,
The senior couple and the elders from the office, and a few elders
from Antofagasta. I was surprised by how great it actually was for not
being in the states. There was turkey, funeral potatoes, jello, yams,
stuffing, gravy, small little bread rolls. fruit salad, and mashed
potatoes. Wow it was awesome for our circumstances! It was really good
to be with some of the missionaries and have our own little
thanksgiving and to be with our own "little missionary family". After
that there was a missionary who go homes this transfer but left a
couple days early and we had his little farewell testimony meeting
after with president and sister Dalton.

We have been preparing for transfers all week long. This next week is
going to be very busy. We have to drop off the missionaries who are
going home, pick up the new missionaries, we have mission leadership
council and then prepare for our zone conferences for this whole next
month. Basically the whole month we are going to be travelling the
mission doing zone conferences. It will be an adventure! While we stop
in certain cities for zone conferences we will work with missionaries
with the extra time that we have.  I am super excited for this next
transfer it is going to be great. My companion is going to be Elder
Pinto. He is from Argentina and is a stud missionary. I am stoked to
have him as my companion and I am excited to learn from him and work
with him.

Anyways hope you enjoyed the photos from our P-day today. It was a
blast! Cool to go see some of the cool things that are here in Antofagasta. Anyways I love you all and am grateful for your example in my lives. I am excited for this Christmas season and to reflect more about the savior and what we can give him.

Elder Newman

Family, 

This week we spent up in Iquique. It was super weird to return back to a city that I haven't been to for 1 year. It was great and as I walked through the streets it seemed like all of the memories i had there were like a dream. We arrived in the late afternoon on Monday and that night we were able to visit a few people. We passed by a few converts and at the end of the night we passed by the Bernal Diaz family. They were a family that we worked with and helped them in the process of reactivation and the daughter was baptized. They actually moved to a different area and live in a different ward so we had to take a taxi to get there. But it was so great to see them. They are still super active and are doing great. He has a great job now, they live in a great apartment, and just recently had a baby boy. They both have callings in their ward as well. It brought me such a joy to see them how they were and to see the change for good that they have gone through. I couldn't stop smiling. They are trying to prepare to go to the temple with their two daughters and their new son. The first daughter is named Monserat and she is 10 now. But she is the one that was baptized and the one that learned how to read by the Book of Mormon. The other daughter is Camila and she just barely turned 8 and this next week the dad is going to baptize her. It was a special experience. 

The day after that I worked in my very first area in the mission. Lynch. It was great and I had a great exchange with one of the missionaries that lived with us in Calama. The day after that we worked in another area in Iquique with a different set of zone leaders. I worked with a missionary who is from my group of missionaries from the MTC. On Thursday we had to take a bus to a city that is up the dirt mountain a little bit. It is called Alto Hospicio. I was able to work with Elder Christianson. He is from Provo and went to Timpview high school. He has been here for just over a year and he is a fantastic missionary. He is one of those missionaries who just "gets it". I had a blast working with him and he is one of my close buddies in the mission. 

We left yesterday afternoon and then got back to Antofagasta last night. Anyways i had a great time working with the missionaries this week and it is always super great to get out and to see what we can improve on and the success that we are having. This week we are going to work with Calama and i will see Elder McCusker. Then we will come back and help with transfers. we are already in to the last week of the transfer. I don't know how the time has flow by so fast this transfer. 

But I hope that you have a great thanksgiving week. I have really seen the importance of gratitude and the change that it has had in my life as a missionary and as a son of God. I hope that each of you will sit down for a bit this week and reflect on the many blessings and the goodness and greatness of our God. Here are a few things that I will list. I am grateful for a family who supports me and loves me. I am grateful for the plan of salvation and that we as a family can live together forever. I am grateful for the priesthood and its keys and inspired leaders who have blessed my life. I am grateful for my companion and the many things that he teaches me. I am grateful for these people who surround me, and the love that the Savior gives me for them. I am grateful for the priesthood and the saving ordinances that are performed by it. I am grateful for a Savior who knows me, understands me, and loves me. I am grateful for His Atonement, and the blessings that it gives me to be sanctified from sin and become like Him. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who always watches over us and takes care of us. I know that gratitude is a virtue of Godliness and by doing so  will help us come closer and align ourselves to the Lord`s will. I want all of you to know that I love you and am grateful for the impact you have had in my life. Have a great week! 

Elder Newman

Family, 

Another super busy week. Monday I was able to see Elder McCusker!!!!. He came down with a missionary that has been having some back problems so that the mission doctor could see him.

We went to TGI Fridays with all the other elders for lunch. We had a great time. Later that afternoon we left to the south of the mission to be able to work with there  We arrived to Chañaral that night and then slept there and that next day we worked with them.

That next morning we spent some time helping some missionaries who are struggling a little bit the best lesson that we had was to a youth that just submitted his mission papers. He was inactive But some missionaries about 5 months ago were able to help him reactivate. The young man wanted us to explain how to use preach my gospel and so we got there and we began to talk and teach a little bit about preach my gospel. However while we were teaching I could tell that something wasn't just right.

We finished the introduction from preach my gospel and I started to ask him some questions about why he wanted to serve a mission and if there were changes that he had to make in his life. We turned to Enos and shared about how Enos also had a change of heart and felt the power of the Atonement and then love for those who surrounded him. The young man began to say that he had felt this before, but he hasn't felt it for quite a while and that lately he had been doubting his testimony and if he even wanted to do this and many other doubts he was having. 

We had found his need. We then turned to 2 Nephi and talked about opposition and how we face it especially before great things are about to happen. As we continued to teach a strong spirit filled the room and his countenance  changed. We returned back to Enos. The spirit was powerful. As we continued to talk he said that he was again feeling the spirit and love for others and that he knew that this was what he needed to do. It was a powerful lesson. I am so grateful for the spirit that led us in the direction and helped us recognize what this young man needed. The rest of the night we taught some progressing investigators who are preparing towards baptism. It was a great exchange. 

The next day we went took a bus to Copiapo and it was awesome. It is super green there!!!! There are 2 zones there so we stayed there for 2 days. I also had some great exchanges there. The last day we were in Vallenar which is the city furthest south in the mission. It is even more green there than Copiapo. But overall through the week we had some great exchanges. I was able to observe and see how things are in different zones and notice some of the necessities and things to improve upon. 

This week we have 2 general authorities coming to the mission. We have Elder Soares from the presidency of the seventy and then Elder Ceballos from the presidency of the area south america south. They are going to be here to interview an area authority and so while they are here they are going to speak to some of the missionaries. Only the zones from Antofagasta and Calama are going to be able to attend because the mission boundaries are so large. But I am super excited to be able to hear from these special witnesses of the savior and to be able to hear what counsel they will give to the mission. 

I hope that each one of you is well. Life is great!!. There are many things that pass by us each day that are waiting to be noticed that will increase our gratitude and our joy.

Our happiness in life isn't determined by the big events, but the small opportunities each day to laugh, smile and express gratitude. We just have to work each day to recognize them. I love you each one of you. You are all so important in my life. Keep working hard and doing your best.   

Elder Newman

Family, 

The week went super fast. We were super busy but I loved it.

Monday morning we left to go to Arica and we were on the bus for about 12 hours and then arrived that night at 10pm.

Tuesday morning we went to the district meeting of one of the zones and then that night we worked with the zone leaders. I worked with elder Hart. He went to Davis high school and he played football up there. He is a great guy and a great missionary. We had a great exchange and we were able to participate in various ways

One thing that I have started to do with the missionaries is before we start the exchange I teach them about a principle from preach my gospel. Something that we are really trying to implement into the mission. While working we looked for opportunities to apply what we had talked about and we also worked in various parts of the work

There are 3 zones in Arica and we worked with them on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and then Friday we returned to Antofagasta.

The best exchange I had was on Thursday. We had some great teaching experiences and specifically in one lesson the spirit was powerful. We were teaching a man whose family are members of the church, but he is not a member. We had a great lesson with him as we finished the lesson about the plan of salvation and eternal families. He accepted to be baptized, and we could see tears of joy coming down his face. I felt so much love for this man and his family and I wanted to help them in anyway possible. As we left he was asking us with excitement when we could return, and if we could return tomorrow. It is awesome to see the spirit work in the lives of the people and for them to desire to have that same feeling more in their own lives. 

It was great to get out and work with the missionaries. I felt like I was back in my own groove again. I had a great time doing intercambios and I also had a lot of time on a bus to get to know my companion better.

During the week we had about an hour and a half break before leaving to the other sector. Elder Villarroel said that we could go and visit some of my converts. So we went to the first in Arica. His name is Jorge. He was baptized in January. He lives with some family friends who were less active. We walked over to the house and there were some dogs that were new in the front porch. I thought to myself that they had probably moved to the south of Chile because that is where they were from.

I knocked on the door and no one came to answer. I then knocked the neighbors door to find out if they knew anything about this family or if someone had recently moved in. The neighbor told me that there was a new family that moved in about 4 months ago and I was a little bummed to hear that,  knowing that I probably wouldn't see this family again. I went back to the first house to knock again and suddenly I hear "Elder!", I turn around and I see the Mom of the family in her car with her two kids. I was so happy to see them and they were really happy to see me. They said that they had moved to another ward in Arica and that they thought i had already finished my mission and returned home. I was shocked of how she knew to drive pass by her old house and she said I was driving up the street next to our house and then looked down the old street to where we lived and saw the missionaries knocking the door and then I flipped around and saw that it was you. I was so happy and grateful to Heavenly Father for letting this experience happen and putting me and her in the right place at the right time. We were able to exchange information. It was definitely one of those tender mercies. 

While working this last week with Arica I had such a great experience. I felt so much love for these people. Stronger than I have ever before. I feel like the spirit had increased my capacities to be able to be a more effective tool in the Lords hands.

I love this work so much. Life is great and I am enjoying every minute. This next week we are going to the south to work with 4 zones in the south. Chañaral, Copiapo, Atacama and Vallenar. 

Love you all 

Elder Newman