"Santiago Sunsets"

Each Santiago sun that "sets"

always leaves us on our knees asking:

"Heavenly Father, did I do all I could do today to follow my Savior?"

The Santiago East Mission Sun Will Soon "Set" on Six Weeks of Studying:

"What is My Purpose as a Missionary."

During this six-week change, which ends all too quickly on October 5^th, we are all studying Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel: “What is My Purpose as a Missionary?” We are reminded that as Missionaries, our purpose is to: “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”

We know that the people around us are searching for purpose in life. They love their families, and they need the peace that comes from knowing they are children of God and members of his eternal family. They want to feel secure in a world of changing values, but they are

“kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.”

(D&C 123:12)

We know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith will bless families, meet spiritual needs, and help our brothers and sisters here in Chile to fulfill their deepest desires. We are authorized representatives of Jesus Christ, and we can teach people with power and authority that:

“redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah,"

"no one can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy,

and grace of the Holy Messiah”

(2 Nephi 2:6,8).

As our understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, our desire to share the gospel increases.

We feel, as Lehi did, the

“great…importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth”

(2 Nephi 2:8).

We are called to represent Jesus Christ in helping people become clean from their sins.

We do this by inviting them to come unto Jesus Christ and become converted to His restored gospel. To come to the Savior they must have faith in Him unto repentance. This means that they will be willing to make necessary changes to bring their life into agreement with His teachings.

We are truly witnessing the miracles of the atonement as we find, teach, and baptize. People transform as they accept the Gospel and use the atonement. They become better and stronger as they repent and fix what is wrong in their lives. They become humble and teachable. They become more like our Savior. They love more. They appreciate life and family more. They accomplish more. They give up harmful habits. They exhibit more courage...the list of positive affects of the atonement goes on forever.

We love this work! We want to shout Christ's message with all of our strength. The gospel is true!

We know this is the Savior’s work. We are thankful to be able to labor with Him in His Chile Santiago East “Garden.”

When the sun sets upon the Mission of each Missionary in the Chile Santiago East Mission, we pray that there will be no regrets. With all our hearts, we pray that each of our missionaries will know that they have done all that they could do to follow our Savior.

Missionaries are "Setting" Standards of Excellence

We have seen such tremendous growth in our Missionaries. Every time we meet with them, they have grown to be more courageous and more committed. Every time we hear them speak and testify, they have increased their ability to teach and to express themselves. And we can’t help but notice that every time we converse with them, their Spanish has improved in miraculous ways.

They are coming to understand the overwhelming power they possess

as representatives of Jesus Christ.

They are learning that they were valiant in the pre-mortal existence, and that because of their valiance there, our Father in Heaven knew He could trust them with great responsibility here. They are understanding that their Father in Heaven has given them remarkable talents and blessings that allow them to share the Gospel with others. They are learning that they possess the undeniable power to create miracles, and they are coming to believe that

with God NOTHING is impossible.

Zone Conferences Always "Set" our Sights on Christ

We held Zone Conference with the North Zones on Wednesday September 9, 2009.

We held Zone Conference with the South Zones on Wednesday September 16, 2009.

We discussed the urgency of the “Vision to Baptize.” We discussed that we are here to rescue our Brothers and Sisters, and we made commitments to always go one more door, even when we are exhausted, even if we are discouraged, and most especially when we feel gratitude to our Heavenly Father for allowing us to serve Him.

“Permanaced” is "Setting" a Wonderful Pattern for Us To Strengthen Our Brothers and Sisters

We have been working on an initiative that has been given to all of Chile by our Area Presidency. It is called “Permanaced.” It is a cry for all inactive members to return to full fellowship in the Church. We need them, and they need the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Missionaries, we work each week to visit the home of 10 inactive members. Then we work to invite them to come back to church and to Christ. We are working so hard to teach them that our Heavenly Father loves them and that He wants them to be close to Him again. We are trying to teach them that what gets in the way of them being able to be close to their Father in Heaven is sin, and that sin can be overcome through faith unto repentance. The Atonement is our loving Father’s answer to sin. He knew we would all sin, and for that reason, we would all need a Savior.

Our Savior stands ready and willing

to accept our honest efforts to repent and become better and stronger.

I am so grateful for the atonement in our lives.