Yo Merry Christmas!

Sooo, you are probably wondering why I didn't write yesterday! lol We had a zone conference so our p day is today. 

Alright so this week was pretttttty dope. Christmas! Ha, Monday, we had p day like normal. went to this hill that overlooked a huge town, was tight. Love it here!


Tuesday was Christmas eve, and the rules were a little different than usual. We got to stay out until 12:30, and have dinner at a members house. We had a barbecue with a recent convert and it was mad funny, we just cracked jokes all night basicamente. Haha It was real nice though cause the years in the past she has only spent Christmas with her and her son, so she said it was real nice to have more people in the house. 


Christmas day was fun, I got my packages from Pat and Auntie Judy! Awesome Christmas present! lol everything in it was perfecto. Later that day got to speak with the fam! Never realized I would stumble as much as I did after having the habit or trying to speak spanish to everyone i talked to lol. I only imagine it being more difficult on mothers day! haha. It was awesome though!


I've been doing way better at my contacts though, this week I made a goal to do 10 every day by myself and I've really been doing it, its pretty fun too! Lots of funny weird things happen. Lol I was talking to a lady a couple days ago that mentioned she doesn't believe in any church or anything, and so I just went on to tell her that we only invite others to learn, and if you believe there's a god, to ask him yourself to find out....and she just sprayed me with her hose haha. It just made me laugh so hard! It was awesome! lol. 


It was dope though when we went to our investigators house to check on how she´s doing and we ended up talking to her dad! We thought he was gonna be all stickler and what not, but he´s pretty much golden like his daughter, asked tons of great questions! They're definitely gonna love what we have to share, its just been hard to find time because I'm pretty sure his daughter has a serious health problem, because she actually asked us to pray for her.

So Christmas is a little different here...at midnight on Christmas eve all the kids run out and play in the street, and someone yells ho ho ho and stuff, and then when they come back inside after a bit there presents are under the tree haha, little interesting. I just read Spencer's letters. He's soo hilarious haha. Just like Uncle Gerry... I'm sittin here crack-in up, and need to step up my story tellin! I think i just forget things lol.
So, other than that, things are going superb! Just learning my Spanish...es mucho mejor cada dia. Lol. (it's a lot easier for me now) Well, better go lots to do today.


In closing..I found out that Doctrina y Convenios Seccion 42 is pretty knowledge filled and would challenge you to read it this week. (D&C 42)

Love,

Elder Preciado

Yo

Sooo lol sorry, I don’t know why, but I don’t know what to say because it seems like we just talked lol... The ward is awesome, we got one new investigator, Romina, she’s 15 years old, she said the prayer in the first lesson and felt the spirit .At our second lesson, we invited  her to baptism, she said  yes - when she’s ready! Oh and  after that she goes ¨" am I allowed to wear pants to church after my baptism?" out here in Chile it’s an custom to do so I guess, so we were like uh yea, haha. I think the fact that she said it that way says she wants to get in the water!! lol. I’ve ridden my bike to sweet places today! I don’t have time to attach pics because the computer I’m using is worse than before and we don’t have much time since we were doing stuff this morning and what not , lol still needa go shopping!

Christmas will be unexpected. lol we have no plans with ward families for anything...except skyping at the famila quezada´s casa. but that’s later. lol Oh, we get to sleep in till 9 and tomorrow night we stay out till 1230! Tell dad the air is fine! I’ve honestly had like no problems adjusting with food or anything!  My leg itches randomly and idk why haha, but that’s like the only thing I could think of J

This is Jordan’s mom talking now J …We are so grateful that we had the wonderful opportunity to use technology to not only hear our son, but  to see his handsome face so many miles away! What a blessing! We were able to have Josh and Ashley from Sacramento add in as well as Alex and Steven & of course Calvin in Utah and the Grandma Lupe and the rest of us here in Southern California all at the same time listening to him, seeing him and asking questions to have him share his experiences with us! So fun!

I asked him at  one point if he missed us, and he said…”not going to lie, but not really because I love it here!” J Most may think I would be sad with that statement, but I couldn’t be happier!  He misses Benz the most J (our chocolate lab).

He was happy to hear of his cousin’s Jayne’s mission call, Jacob’s missionary works with another friend from high school taking the discussions, and of course saddened and sorry to hear that great grandma “nana Vicki passed away last week, but he is comforted in knowing she’s in a better place and busy chatting away with Andie and Opa J

He loves everyone and wanted me to tell you all to write him! J He loves hearing how you all are doing! Pictures are fun too! The best way again to send him a quick message is jordan.preciado@myldsmail.net 

We truly feel blessed this Holiday season and are so thankful for Elder Preciado and his example to all of us. We do miss his sweet spirit and mostly his humor and fun, but wouldn't want him anywhere else!

Love you all!   

Sincerely,

Elder Preciado

Momma Preciado

P.s. In the excitement  of it all, he forgot to give a scripture, so he will have one for us next week J

Word UP!!

So, yesterday was mad-real. First baptism!!! His name is Lalo, nickname for Eduardo, lol. His wife is a member, and even served a mission! He was one of the first people we taught once we got to our area. He was supposed to be baptized a week ago, but he was drinking coffee haha, and idk if he was taught not to or not, but we covered that for him and he totally understood. 

I never thought my companion and I did much because HE told us he wanted to be baptized the first time we taught him, but once my companion got done baptizing him yesterday, his wife leaned over to me and said  thank you and everything and told me that there was something special about us for some reason. I still don’t know what or why or how, but that doesn’t matter, lol. I guess he had been talking to the missionaries for over a year now and coming to church forever, but we were able to get him in the water within two weeks!! So I feel like that might speak for itself! Haha… it was an awesome experience though!

Soooo, also something that supports my understanding that everything happens for a reason happened to me and my companion this week, also. It was my turn to contact someone and so we were on our bikes riding through a neighborhood and saw a random house with a guy outside doing some yard work, I said “Hey!, do you need some help?!” He said no, so i went on to ask if he’s talked to missionaries before etc. Sooner or later, he goes si pasan! (which means we can come in!)..we go into talk to his mom or abuela I don’t remember lol...but we start talking to her, we sing a song by ourselves and then pray for the spirit and go on to explain the restoration..then, another lady walks in and BASICALLY says, I need you guys to leave, so the lady we were talking to says, do you have a problem with them here? She says yes, I have a problem, so we were like oh no she’s atheist or something..lol but we sat there for a second cause we didn’t know what to do then she goes ´bueno, su abuela fallacio´ which basically means, your grandma just passed away. Room goes dead silent. I’m just sitting there like uhhhh oh.....sooo my companion and I just hand her a plan of salvation pamphlet and leave with a prayer.. super weird! But for some reason I knew we were supposed to be there at THAT time whether we knew exactly why or not. It was crazy..I love those moments though!! Don’t know why yet.. haha

Anyways….other than that, my Spanish is getting so much better its crazy to me. lol I had my first contact the other day all by myself without the help of my companion! AND, I understood everything and all. It was sweet! People still don’t believe I’ve been here this long. Lol (only 2 weeks).

It’s also funny because almost EVERYONE gives me a funny reaction when I tell them my name. lol In English it means valuable. haha so everyone always laughs and what not.

My companion and I were at a members house yesterday for almuerzo, (lunch) and they were awesome, taught me some more Spanish, and made me feel at home it was sweet! I told them I like to make music and write and stuff he goes AH! perfecto! Rancagua has elder archuleta and we have elder preciado! hahaha. It was funny. 

Lots of people have been telling me only certain people get sent to the area I’m in… haha whatever that means, but they were saying how only certain people can help the people here?? Idk, just kinda cool I guess. lol. 

Oh, and today was a great morning though, because I finally got to REALLY wash my clothes. The past two weeks I’ve been using a bowl! Hahaha it was pretty dope, and sweet experience, but I’m glad we found a washing machine to use lol. 

I’m loving it still!! learning Spanish every day is fun, and eating the food here is bomb!! The people are awesome, I didn’t think I’d be able to relate to the people here and stuff but once I start talking to someone it always works out.!!

I contacted a lady yesterday whose kids are baptized and all, but she doesn’t understand anything about the money stuff, she doesn’t think it’s right how the tithing and stuff is sorted out or something..idk. All I heard was “I wanna be baptized, just clear my worries of tithing and fast offerings lol” J I can do that!

Days are starting to go by so quick, I know I just got here but there’s times where I feel like I’ve been here forEVER and other times I’m like oh I just got here. haha kinda weird...anyways. I got love for anyone reading this and hope all is well with everyone!

K and, scripture for the week is 1 Nephi  chapter 3, all of it! You can do it! J

Love,

Elder Preciado  

P.S. I added some pictures this time! The blue house is where my companion and I live by ourselves! It’s sweet! …I would pull the weeds out front if I had the time haha always on the go! lol! And then, the other picture is Lalo in the baptismal clothes. And then I added one of my Mission President and his wife & Mason Porter! Last one is my companion! I'll try and send more next time!

Chile is DOPE!!!

Howsigoing?? Chile is DOPE. After the first day filled with tonnnnns of craziness, the next day was just as sweet. We already have a baptism for this Saturday!! Eduardo(aka Lalo) is one of the investigators in our area book. He owns, or works at, a shop in the Centro, the place with just lots of shops. haha  We were looking for him one day, and he wasn't answering the door at the address we had, so we go into the shop which was right next door just looking around and he came up out of nowhere and said to my companion...so i want to get baptized, who do i talk to?... well obviously, conmigo. haha It was awesome!! Everyone here speaks so fast and they don't pronounce the ¨s at the end of words, if that makes sense lol...but i'm slowly getting the hang of it! Every day I always understand more than yesterday,  so with time! lol , its so crazy to me how we meet these people though, its like theyre expecting us but theyre not? no se... but its legit. One nino that was baptized recently (his name is Emilio) and my companion and I got to confirm him with the holy ghost yesterday at church! I didn't even know until we got called to go up with the bishop! haha it was awesome! 

cool story... Once we got to the mission office where I ran into Mason! haha we got paired up with our companions and everything, and then we got our things and went off to our new area. I'm in a place called Los Andes, which is like 2 hours away from the mission office. The area is just awesome all together, totally poor!!, but awesome! I love it everywhere!.... and we get bikes! haha not all sectors do. lol so i feel blessed with that. Once we get off the bus from the mission office we have no idea where to go..were kinda looking around...started asking a random person, and then out of nowhere a guy pulls up in a truck and says...elders! ... so i went and talked to him and the only thing i caught was obispo. hahah so i yelled to my companion its the bishop! hahah  super funny! So he takes us to our new house, and then helps get my companions bags from his last area, man it was so weird but awesome! 

The food here is bomb! Lots of pollo! (chicken) Oh, and instead of eating dinner with members we eat almuerzo (lunch) con miembros. It's like a dinner pretty much cause it's always a bunch of food with different courses, even if it's ice cream after or something!! I've never are so much food in my life! Way more than the MTC!! But I finish it all every time and feel great! haha I feel like I'll definitely get the pounds I need here! lol Oh!, we have a house to ourselves. I'll try and send a pic in a few. We go to bed at 11:30 and get up at 7:30, a little different than most missions, but its awesome!  The only thing that ever makes me tired is no food and the heat. but I'm doing great! 

Funny story..after a mission conference we had,  everyone in the mission got sick from the lunch they fed us! I had diarrhea so bad hahahahha but i took the pills i had and i was totally fine after that lol!!! (diarrhea since eastersss) hahaOne thing a little different is that we don't knock doors, we ring a door bell or just yell ...HALO!.... and wait to see if someone comes out haha. It's interesting to me, but its just the culture I suppose.  Hmm.what else..not suree. I  just know that it's awesome here....I know i'm gonna love it muchhhh more when I can fully understand and speak the language, but literally almost everyone says I speak realllly good already and are surprised I have only been here less than a week so far.. haha 

lol I'm trying to attach pics now but its taking foreverrrrrr

The computers are sooo slow so it didn't attach the picture, I'll try again next week. I'll do my best to write down more experiences to share. Read Ether 12:4!   Until next week! Love you Mucho and tell everyone hello!!

Con amor

Elder Preciado

I've Arrived and am Alive!!

Hola!

So today was crazy! I was detained by PDI (FBI for Chile) because my card didn't work and I couldn't get through immigration! So nuts! I was waiting for 3 hours! Then they came up to me and said if I can't figure it out in 30 minutes then they will send me on a returning flight to the U.S.! I, como, WOW! Most intense thing
ever, but I thought it was AWESOME! haha I just prayed and knew things would work out. THEN...I lost my bags!...lol so we had to go all over the airport and luckily they were holding them for me! I just arrived at the Mission office right now and I'm with MASON!! So awesome!! Anyways..I'm here safe and from what I've seen so far (which isn't much) I LOVE IT!!!

Gotta get to work!! Adios!

I love you all mucho!!

Love,

Elder Preciado

P.S. ONLY use USPS for ANY packages as it takes 3 weeks (usually more) but it's the best to use
so that I ensure that I receive them and also so I don't have to pay extra money on my end to receive them! Haha Thanks again for all those awesome packages in the MTC! You of course can still email me the easiest at jordan.preciado@myldsmail.net I will be able to read these weekly.

This is the instructions from the mission office on mail:

HERE IS THE MAIL POLICY… I know you will have questions and concerns.  If this doesn´t answer those concerns, feel free to email. 

We receive all packages here at the office.

The mailing address is :

                           Sucursal Correo Patronato

                           Casilla #60

                           Recoleta

                          Santiago, Chile

When we receive any type of mail it is delivered to the Missionary at their District Class.  The only time that changes is when we have Sector Changes.  Then they will not have a District Class so it will be another week before they get their mail.  We do try to get the mail to the missionaries as fast as possible.  We know that happy missionaries work harder.  So please, mail all you want to keep your missionary happy!!!

This is a letter from his Mission President: 

December 5, 2013

Dear Preciado Family,

            It was a great pleasure to welcome your son to our mission.  He arrived safely, is enthusiastic, and anxious to begin missionary work here in the Chile Santiago North mission.  I have interviewed him carefully and find him well prepared, with a strong testimony, and a good beginning foundation in the Spanish language.  I feel honored to be his mission president and know that the Lord has prepared many people here to receive the testimony of the restoration he bears.   Sister Essig and I will treat him as our own son. 

            Your son will look forward to your weekly letters of encouragement and support.  E-mail is a great way to communicate with him as he communicates with me by e-mail weekly as well.  If you prefer to send letters, the church pouch system is the fastest and safest method.  The pouch mail comes several times per week and is delivered to the mission office, where we either carry it ourselves, or send it with missionaries to your son as soon as possible.  You can also send letters directly to his address but it will not get here as quickly.  The address of our mission for the pouch system is as follows.

Chile Santiago North Mission

MP-Chile Santiago North Mission

Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

            Thank you for all you have done to prepare your son for his mission.  Sister Essig and I will do everything in our power to help him have a wonderful and productive mission.

Sincerely yours,

Fred D. Essig

President, Chile Santiago North Mission

fessig@ldschurch.org

This is President Essig and his wife