My First Chilean Birthday!!!

Family!

My Birthday went off so well!!! It rained all day long haha...but it's nice, because I got to celebrate with the Mamita and family! It's really cool to have them around. She made me a cake with the stuff you sent. It reminded me of home!

Let's party!

My birthday cake!!

Happy birthday to me!!

Not sure what this is, but it looks good!

Haha, they thought I would cry, but yet again I proved them wrong! MUAHAHA! I am a pretty cold hearted dude...So cold hearted that yesterday for lunch I had an entire leg of a Lamb. I will be sending a picture. Haha...it was good.

Leg o lamb

Elder Guerra needs a tortilla!!

Let's do this!!!

Larry the Lizard's Chilean cousin - His legs are too small to eat!!!

Elder Guerra really liked the stuff you sent and wanted me to tell you thanks for sending it. He almost cried when he found out the stuff was for him. They didn´t know what sugar cookies where...never had heard of them!

Kayleigh, you got me sick...and all the rest of you. I have the flu, too...I am dying today. I slept all morning, and we didn´t go to Villarica to see the others today.

Sam! Haha, you're talking to the Iva and Chris? (The Mamita's kids friend requested Sam on Facebook). Haha, that's so cool! For your information, tonto is like stupid or dumb. Haha, silly is chistoso or extraño. The thing is that here in Chile, the word tonto means one thing and in Mexico or another latino country means something different. :P Tell them that I am bakan (cool in ganster here) and that I am flaite ( The word for gangster here in Chile). And when you type stuff like si or no...if you want to make them laugh, put po at the end of the word like this (sipo, nopo, claropo). They add that at the end of words for no reason whatsoever. But it makes them laugh when white guys do it. Call Iva, Ivita. That will make her feel really special, and talk about Naruto and other Anime because she is crazy for the stuff. They play online games too...so, maybe you can find out what they play and hook up with them. And in Spanish, in the beginning they seem to always be mad when you do something, and they say no. But, the only word that makes it not or not really is the word no. They use it a ton! But it doesn´t mean they are mad or anything. You're good to go. If you have questions about stuff, you can ask me or look for a Chile-Spanish translator.

As far as I know for Alejandro (former companion Elder Munoz), he broke up with the girl who was there waiting for him, because they didn´t like each other after 2 YEARS OF WAITING FOR NOTHING! That's gotta suck...

The thing I know about Elder Guerra, is God put him here with me to help him, and to help me learn and grow. And I am doing it!! The problem with him is his testimony is not that strong about being a missionary. His testimony of the church is strong, but he hasn't caught the full spirit of missionary work. So, we are working on that with him. We fight often, but I am learning to chill out quickly, and repair any damage. I have been studying the example of Chirst, and praying a ton. And well, it works! Haha, it really does. He just doesn´t want to do anything...haha, but he's starting to come around. Slowly, but he is.

Elder Galarza (Ben's second companion) is now a lider de zona (zone leader). Haha, that's so crazy! He is a really good guy. It can just be hard sometimes (to get along with your companion).

In a few more weeks, the one year mark, and after that...I will be in the house...they say it goes by much faster after the year mark! Haha, crazy! A lot of people I know are going to be dying this combio and the next. :( Sad....

I love you all so much! Take care

Love Ben

I got to see Elder Muñoz here!

Family!

I did get the package! Thank you so much! I loved all the stuff I got and I'm going to share with the District the candy and stuff today. I am in Villarica today hanging out with them for Pday...going to be playing the guitar and basketball.

This week was so hard...I am dying! But, I had moments that brought me up a bit in my motivation. I got to see Elder Muñoz here! Haha, it was the weirdiest thing ever...he's so skinny now... I hope the picture I am sending of my guitar shows it well enough. I did a little pose with it. Haha, it's pretty sweet now that I have all my stuff again...capo and picks! I love it! I have been telling everyone that I come from a band. That we play all kinds of music...except Ragatone. Haha I hate that stuff so bad.

Me & Munoz

Me & My Guitar

WOW, Kayleigh got hit hard with the flu. I have been seeing that go around here too. It's been really kinda weird...everyone is getting sick here and I don´t how they do it. I haven´t gotten sick since Puerto Natales. So, I am happy. I have been giving a ton of blessings here in Pucon. And they just keep on getting better each time. I am getting pretty good at listening to the spirit. Before, I blew just about all of them...but we all have to learn right?

As for me...we have lots of problems with my companion....it's killing me. We had to go to Osorno and talk to president about things with him...and that still hasn´t done the trick. He just doesn´t want to work....I am dying, along with Pucon. It's been hard on me...but we will see how things go.

Tell Brock to send me the stuff right away...I have been thinking about where he's at. I´ll be waiting for his stuff....MUHAHAHA. I can´t wait to see what he has to say....

I remember all the stuff you have to choose to do when school starts to come to an end. It's going to be so weird that Sam will be done...He has lots to do...but if he goes on a mission he doesn´t have to worry about that stuff for 2 more years. This is a good bonus of the mission. It's so much easier to live the life of a missionary, but so much more stressful when you're a leader in the field. Haha, I love it though. If you don´t know if you should go a mission you only have to ask yourself...Do I want to have fun and be happy? If so...go on the mission and I promise it will be fun and you´ll be happy.

Don´t feel bad you never taught me how to sew a button...I didn´t think I would need to do it ever....Haha

I love you all very, very much. I am always trying to be the best I can be.

Take care, and stay strong.

Love Ben

The Volcano

The Thinker

The Waterfall

Young Single Adult Conference

Lots of heat and walking around

Hey whats up family!

I will be thinking of some good stories to write for next time...I have a lot!

So today was a good day, we went to the Ojos de Caburgua. It's two lakes with waterfalls. It was ok, nothing too big, but still fun to go. We went to it with all the district and it went pretty well. I am in the internet cafe and forgot my cord, so I will send you pictures in about an hour or so.

Elder Guerra Enjoying P-Day

Hey!!!

Big Ole Brownie

Things for me are going really well here, Ricardo didn´t come to church, but we should be going to teach him soon. It's been a crazy week with my first baptismal interview and with the interviews with President. President gave me some good advice about the district and gave my companion some "good advice". He was pretty shaken up after the interview, so we will see how it goes. If he doesn´t start working here soon, chou no mas. It's been really cool to be a distict leader, but next combio is going to kill me a bit. I can already feel it. Alejandro(Muñoz) is coming tomorrow, and we should be able to see each other!! I am so excited to see my trainer again! I hope he is proud of me. It's going to be a crazy week...very very crazy.

Wow, it's crazy that Cody is leaving on his mission! It's going to be a bit weird to get back when no one is around. It's a really good time for the Lighthouse Ward. Lots of missionaries going out, and lots of cool things going down. I am super glad that you were able to help Cody and his mom out with all the mission tricks and stuff. It will be good for them to know a few things to take the stress off from things.

I HOPE THAT RIGGENBURG TALKS WITH THE MISSIONARIES! I know that it's something that I should have done. I really hope she lets them in and works with them. I think it would be cool to have her as a member. I hope her husband Josh joins, too. It would be awesome to have them all good and ready to go get sealed. I didn´t think you needed a phone number to make a referral. We usually don't have them either.

The guitar has proved to be a good stress reliever as you all hoped. It has let me sing my heart out, in place of crying it out. haha It's been a good thing to have around here and use. The only problem is that my companion, who doesn´t know how to play...gets annoying trying to play it. I have a few pictures with me and my guitar. I have loved this great thing. I did buy a tuner. Thanks for asking. :D

As for me, nothing much has happened...lots of heat and walking around. Hopefully summer will end soon, so I can go back to my nice cold weather. It's been really good for me here, and there is so much to do. President is really a good man, and his wife taught me how to sew on a button. It's nice to know.

I love my district a lot, and it's made me realize how weak I really am. I pray every single day to be strengthened by the Lord, even when I have pain and heartache, and I pray to overcome who I am and what I do. I know that it's not easy to do this work, but it's so much more worthwhile than studying in school or working right now. I love it...and at times I wish I could really be like Alma says, a angel who speaks as thunder. But, I am only a man...small and weak.

I love you all...

May God watch over us all.

Ben

Pushing Along...

HEY! How are you all holding up there? Don´t worry too much about the Gays...they left to go back to their homes. They got kicked out of their house...that sucks...

As for Jacalin and Danila, they aren´t in the pictures...but I think we are going to have to drop them...they don´t progress and wont let us bring members to their home...and well...they kinda asked us out on a date...soo....we gotta get out of there. The girls in the picture is the Polet and Maria...Maria is the mom and member and Polet isn´t. They are good but, don´t want to come to church

I will try not to fight too much over the chips...its been pretty tough on us here. My companion doesn´t do anything, and has so much fear of the work that he gets up late and doesn't want to leave the house. It's been getting so hard, that we had to call the ZLs and it's just been hard. He doesn´t want to progress and is just bumming out.

So I got my Guitar, and well 3 strings are Nylon and the top 3 are steel. It's really cool, but I forgot my camera in Pucon...sooo...I will have to send the pictures next Monday. Sorry...I still haven´t found a tuner for it. Thanks for the package that your sending! I will let you know when it gets here. ¡Que Vakan! Haha It will be very helpful to have some new tricks up my sleeves.

Wow, the circle of life...can be really hard at times! Haha, I will be 20 soon! I'm old...

Gage! Thats so sick that he got accepted there...he will do well I know. Krista would be a pretty cool EMT. I forgot that they're all getting done with school...that's really strange for me. SAM YOU SHOULD GO ON YOUR MISSION! And if you get your call and your in the MTC, they will let me come visit you before you leave...so we are good to go there. As for Cody, he shouldn´t worry to much there...it's not super easy but with the Lords help you´ll progress like a pro. I was the worst one in Spanish...and now I can understand just about all of it. Don´t sweat it. Remember that the Lord takes weak things and makes us strong in them if we are prayerful and faithful to what He wants.

Papito was ready for the Super Bowl too...haha. Look at my little brothers learning how to forward ports! Makes me tear up a bit...haha. It seems like only yesterday that they called me a nerd and now...they too are nerds.... XD

I love you all and thought that I would say, I think we can get Ricardo baptized in 2 or 3 weeks! Haha, this would be the best thing ever and help my campanion. As for me...I am just pushing along, trying to make the best out of what I have.

I love you all very much!

I know that the Lord will always be with us...and that we shouldn´t worry about the things that will happen. Sometimes, we have to suffer just a bit so we know just how good things really are.

¡Os Quiero, con todo mi corazon!