Hey everyone

So, first Christmas away from home. It was kinda weird waking up on Christmas morning and knowing that everyone was at home opening presents and stuff. It's okay, though, Elder H. and I had our own little Christmas morning and opened our packages together. Oh yeah and I have to thank a few people: Thanks to Aunt Laura, Phillip, and Claire; Grandma sue and Grandpa Jerry; Aunt Lynn; the Clynes; and Shannon's sunday school class (I think) for the packages. It was greatly appreciated and still felt like Christmas even though I'm far from home.

Things have been going well here in Buenaventura. All the Elders are working hard. Elder A. and I are really working with this family. We don't know their last name yet, but we call them familia de Magnolia, because that's the mom's name. We met them on the street about a month ago and we know that God was definitely helping us out because their house is up some hill then down some sketchy hallway and stuff... basically a place where we'd never normally think of going. But, anyway, we have been working hard with them. Two of the daughters Yessenia and Yohana have baptism dates in December. The mom and the other daughter Yulieth have some challenges but we're working with them.

To be completely honest, I feel like my spanish speaking has dropped a bit probably because Elder H. and I always speak English to each other. I guess its easier to learn Spanish when I'm forced to speak it all the time like last transfer. I'm working on that though.

Vamos bien aquí. Todavía no hemos visto mucho éxito pero estamos trabajando duro. Me ha gustado buenaventuro. Espero que me quede aquí más que un cambio jaja pero no me preocupo. nos vemos en un año y medio

Elders Chase, A., Ho., A., B., and W. with Pres. and Sister Prince

 Hey! Merry Christmas!

That was way sick to see all you guys yesterday on Skype. I got all depressed that night but I'm good now (haha).

So Elder H. and I opened our Christmas packages today. I figured it was just better to do it today on pday when we actually have time. I really want to thank you for all the stuff. I don't know if I got it all yet, but seriously, I was overwhelmed as I saw all the stuff. It was really great. I really, really appreciate it. Oh, and Elder A. loved his stocking and says thanks. I'm currently wearing that purple-ish tie you guys sent me. I really like plain color ties. Just like shirts (haha). I gave a couple to Elder A. too.
So thinking back on yesterday, it was cool to see everyone. I hope everyone felt like they got to talk. I enjoyed the little Spanish with Uncle Ricky, that was cool. I was kinda overwhelmed with all the people around me and noise and stuff but it was fun. It was cool seeing everyone together. It was cool knowing all you guys were there doing the same old thing even though I'm all the way over here.

That's good that Hank (our Bulldog) hasn't started getting too old yet. Maybe he'll still be around when I get back.

The other day I just started thinking and started to feel a little overwhelmed. I started thinking about what I'm actually doing here. Like I'm here in some country in South America trying to tell people why they should change their lives and why our church is true... and do it all in another language. It's just hard sometimes and feels like a lot of pressure. Now that I'm not in training anymore, it's like I have an equal part in all this and these people are depending on me to know what to say and how to help them. But it really is great though. I'm trying to enjoy things right now cause they are going well with my comp and all that. It's weird to think that I'm almost a quarter of the way done already. It's gone by way fast but at the same time I feel like I've been out here forever.

Oh, the other day, we saw two guys yelling at each other and one went into his bus and pulled out a machete and started trying to chop at the other guy. It was nuts (haha).

Entonces fue muy chévere hablar con ustedes ayer. Estoy tratando de disfrutar de cada momento de mi tiempo aquí. Todo esto ha sido maravilloso y todavía acabo de empezar. Me alegro mucho que estén bien. Sigan adelante y haré lo mismo.

Elder Chase

Hey

Alright so things are still going well. Buenaventura is still awesome. No fish yet thankfully.

We have an English class every Wednesday now, so I took out little whiteboard and wrote the info on it. Then Elder A. and I went around the mercado and I shouted Clase de Inglés a las dos, hoy, barrio Galeón GRATIS. Free English class today 2 o clock. It was fun. I normally would be embarrassed to do something like that but it was fun.

We are teaching this one large family of girls that we contacted. They are pretty cool. I met another guy whose been all over the US and LA who speaks English pretty well. Its' way more humid here than anywhere else. All my papers of everything are always slightly moist. I haven't met Elder E. yet, but Elder W. knows him and says he is cool.

I don't know if I already mentioned this, but I found a recorder in the apartment in Pasto. I still remember how to play it pretty well. I can basically play any hymn with it, haha. Six of us missionaries sang "Angels we  Have heard on High" in the sacrament meeting the other day. It was pretty sick (cool).

I think we are all traveling to Cali tomorrow to interview with the president.

What else...the accent here is really hard to understand. I feel like I've gone back to square one with my ability to understand the language now. It's kind of like someone who is trying to learn English and has to try and understand street slang. It's hard hahaha.

time is going by a lot faster here. I'm enjoying myself and my comp and the people a lot more here. Its great having Elder H. here too.

Oh yeah, thanks for writing me sooner. We always go Monday morning now to print out our emails so anytime before Monday is the best time to write.

Entonces por ahora todo está bien. Estamos trabajando duro y tratando de hacer lo mejor posible. Sigan juiciosos y sigan adelante con todo. Será chévere cuando nos veamos por skype éste mes. Nos vemos

Elder Chase

Hey.

Ok, so I got transferred again. It's the third transfer and I'm in my third area already. I've been in the same amount of areas that people usually have been in after a year or so. It's cool though because I'm getting to see a lot of the mission.

So when they called us about transfers, I was thinking the one place I didn't want to go was Buenaventura because they eat lots of fish there. So guess where I've been for the last week now! Although I was freaking out when they told me I was coming here, I realized it's AWESOME here. It is by far the coolest place in the mission.

There are a few things that make this the best are in the mission. I don't remember if I mentioned this already, but President Prince had talked to me about my transfer and said some cool things. He said out of 160 missionaries, he needed to choose six who would be good for this assignment, and three were already here so had to pick three missionaries out of all of them to send here. He said he felt impressed that I should be one of them. So that was pretty cool. Another guy is a Dominican named Elder B.. The other guy who got picked to come down here was...Elder H.. hahahaha I was so stoked when president told me he was coming down here with me and he got picked too.

So some things about this place. All six of us live in the same apartment. Its pretty crammed but it's cool cause there are a lot of people to talk to. The DL is another gringo Elder W. He is way cool. My comp is Elder A. from Bolovia. He's awesome. Elder H's comp is Elder A., who was in the Bogotá mtc with us. The missionaries just got here to Buenaventura about 6 months ago. There are only the six of us in the entire city. Elder A. and I are opening a new area called La Isla. We have the island part of the city. It's not like an island island. It's basically like Balboa Island, where its technically an island but doesn't feel any different. Its way cool to be able to see the water. I feel way more at home living close to the ocean. There are a lot of black people here. 85 percent they say. The accent is so hard to understand. So there's only one branch for the entire city. Everyone here is a new member of the church except the branch president. People here don't really know how to run the church organization, so the missionaries have a way bigger role. We have to help out a lot and make sure the classes don't teach the doctrine correctly. There's no chapel so we use a building that we rent. The branch president told us that it's like the year 1820 here for the church. As if it is just starting and we have to help everyone.

There's really no other place like this in the whole mission. Elder A. said president asked them what kind of missionaries they needed here and he said they told him they needed the very best. They started looking at the lists of zone leaders and stuff and trying to decide who they thought president would send. And then president sent me and Elder H. hahah. Anyway, I think I will be here in Buenaventura for a while. Nobody has given me fish yet so that's a good thing. There is a lot of poverty here. We were walking around some pretty ghetto parts by the ocean the other day. Everyone was just staring at us and people would ask us what we were doing there or if we were lost haha. Then it started getting dark and we were kinda lost... that's when we really started freaking out. We made it out ok though. The problem is this is a new area and we don't know where the dangerous red zones are yet. I guess well find out.

Anyways, so I've been out for almost 5 months now which is nuts to think about. i feel like I've been out here forever, but also like I just got here yesterday.

Esta experiencia ha sido tan chévere. Especialmente aquí en buenaventura. Es chévere que yo esté con E'H. otra vez. Este lugar es lo mejor y sé que disfrutaré de este tiempo. Me cae muy bien mi nuevo compañero. Elder H. y yo nos gusta quejarnos de Elder C. haha. Me alegro que ese tiempo de mi misión ya haya pasado haha y me encanta me nueva parte de la misión Colombia Cali. Espero que todos estén bien allá. nos vemos en dos. Que estén bien.

y para que sepan, creo que en el futuro vamos a escribir mas temprano por la mañana. entonces cuando me escriban, escribanme el domingo para que yo pueda leer las cartas

Elder Chase