Family, 

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and continual watch over my mission  First of all I want to tell you all how much I love you and how grateful I am for a wonderful family and parents. With everyone I meet, I realize how blessed I have been in my life to have so many wonderful people surround me. I know that your continual prayers help us and this week we have seen some success and miracles. 

This last week we have been trying to find some people to teach, and we received some wonderful blessings as we received references from some members and also found some. Our investigator Oswaldo was in the mines all this last week so we weren't really able to work with him. He said before he left that he would be baptized on the 13th if he could resist smoking while he was up in the mines. He said that while he was down here it wasn't a temptation but when he was up there it was harder for him. We sent him with a picture of us with a poster saying si se puede which is yes you can and also some things he could do when temptations came along. We have been praying for him and fasting and we hope that we will see good news tomorrow when we see him. 

As we were able to find new people to teach, none of the appointments we had set were for this week. So the entire week we had been working and trying to find people to be able to bring to conference. We had found a few new less actives to work with but were still looking for a solid new investigator. Our investigator that we brought to church last week, Mariluz, had to take someone else´s shift for work on Saturday and Sunday and so she wasn't going to be able to come to any of the sessions of conference. I was a bit bummed knowing that the opportunity to be at conference was going to be such a wonderful experience to listen to the prophet and feel of the spirit. 

Conference was so wonderful I absolutely loved it. I entered conference with many questions that I had in my life at the moment, and I promise you that every single one of them was answered. I am so grateful for the messages that were given, and It felt like some of them were specifically written for me. Also as I was watching and listening to certain talks I thought about our investigators and how certain talks would be perfect for them. 

Sunday afternoon after the first session had ended, I was discouraged because none of our investigators that we had been working with could even come to 1 session of conference. In whatever moment of extra time we had before of after conference all I wanted to do was go work in our sector and keep looking for the souls that are ready to be baptized. But as we were in between the two sessions on Sunday  I was watching the world report and then the cellphone starts ringing and then I look down at the phone and I see mariluz's name. As I talked to her she asked me where we were and I told her that we were at conference and then she said that she had gotten of work early and that she wanted to come to conference. My heart filled with Joy and gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the miracle that had just taken place and I had never felt so happy. We went and picked her up with a member and then brought her to conference and she liked it very much. She asked me if she could buy a Book of Mormon, of course I gave her one and she was so very excited. Also a less active that we are working with showed up to the 4th session and brought His wife. I was so happy and felt so indebted for the wonderful blessings and miracle that we saw. 

This morning we went and taught mariluz and we taught her about the restoration. She told me that the morning that we contacted her she was praying to Heavenly Father looking for direction in her life and she wanted to be able to get to know Him better, she said that as she was going down the stairs from her house later that day and when she saw us she felt something that she had never felt before. Then I came up and talked to her and she said that she knew it was an answer from God. She also talked to me this morning about how she had always wanted to be a missionary. She is very excited to be able to continue to learn and I hope that by the end of this month we can baptize her. 

So the 2nd counselor in our bishopric played football at the university of Miami. He moved to Florida when he was a kid, and ended up playing football with Ray Lewis. He was on the same team as Ray Lewis! It was crazy and we were able to talk about football a bit. It was awesome. Our pension is pretty nice, I will take some pictures of it, it is basically like a small house. Elder Sylvester is doing well, I am trying to do everything I can to help him catch the excitement of the work. He is a great teacher and has a lot of potential as a missionary. I hope that we can have some great growth here together in Antofagasta. 

General Conference was amazing. I cant believe how fast it goes by. It goes so much faster as a missionary. I enjoyed every single session, and watched the last session in spanish with our investigators. It was quite different to see the face of the speaker but to hear it in spanish. We had our little gringo room still where we all listened to it in english, I brought some munchies to eat while i took notes as well. President and Sister Bruce watched conference from their house, but the office elders were with us for a few of the sessions. Every single talk was just inspired and so well given. I loved every single one. Thank you for all of your prayers and for all that you do. I am excited to see how things pick up here in Antofagasta. 

Elder Newman