The Lord is My Shepherd, and banana guns....

Family, dearest family!!

1. I think I would like to begin with my testimony. The first thing that I would like to say is that I know that the Savior lives. I know with a surety and with out a doubt that He lives, that He suffered for my sins and for my errors. I am not a perfect person, but I know that through His atonement I can become perfect. It all takes the willingness to sacrifice and to be obedient. These two things together equal the love for God. It is these two things together that we are able to become consecrated. I am so excited for our mission right now, because we are truly trying to be better with our obedience and trying to show God that we really do love Him.

2. It is official now... I will now be coming home in February. I have extended my mission for a month more. 19 months in Chile, okay almost! Presidente changed my date for four weeks after January 26. I want you all to know that this was a really hard decision for me, but what it comes down to is that I had two very strong spiritual experiences when I began thinking about extending and then my fear and my want to go home blurred my vision... but I know, I KNOW that this is something that I have to do. I don't know why...., but for some reason He wants me here for February 2016. I am so willing to do His will, I would give everything I have to just follow Him. I would die for Him if He asked me to. I think of three people from the Book of Mormon Alma and Amulek when they had such a hard time before helping so many people come unto Christ, and also Lamoni's father. For those of you who are not familiar with the Book of Mormon, Lamoni is a king and his dad as well. His dad was willing to give all of his kingdom, all of the material things just to know God. I know that He has a plan for me.

3. Hemana Espinoza and I are always laughing. We are so funny together. I am a funnier person these days. ahaha! Today right before we came to write our families Hermana Marisol gave us two bananas, one for Hermana Espinoza and one for me. So, right after I began pretending that I was calling her and she did it to me. And then we pretended that we were in the wild west taking out our guns from our pockets with the bananas. And then we pretended that we were in an army plane driving and that we had walkie talkies. Then we pretended we were on the movie mission impossible, but the name is mission possible, because we are on a mision that is possible through the Lord!! LOL. And then we were really close to enter into the internet place and there were two men that said that we looked pretty today and we said thanks, but then we stopped because Hermana Espinoza had to fix her skirt and I look over and the men are just staring at us. I tell her that the creepy men are staring at us and that I should probably shoot them with our banana guns. It was really funny!! :D Ahaha!

4. Catalina Zuniga was baptized!! Her baptism was on Sunday!! I am so happy!! So, so so Happy!! I have a better understanding what baptism is these days. She is an eight year old litte girl and she decided that she wanted to be baptized. Her grandpa is a member so her family is a part family, and we help thrm go to church.Cata is a miracle for her family. She is going to help all of them come to Christ. She has already been at it, because after her baptism she went to go and look for Elder Harries and Brophy (they are our zone leaders) and their sector is the sector of her aunt and uncle and she told them that they needed to go and visit her aunt and uncle. Wow! Right? It is amazing this little girl!! :DD

I love being here in Chile. I love Chile. I love El Monte. I love the mission. I know my Savior lives!! Have an amazing week! Love you all very much!

Hermana Durfee

Well... I guess my last name is Espinoza as well...

Family!! Hey!!

1. So, the week just flies right? It just goes! What am I going to do?

2. I had a dream about having a baby in my arms. It was pretty sweet. It is because it has been a year and four months that I have held a baby. It was really cool. I remember it was like a Saturday night and when we went to church on Sunday I saw the Bishop´s two year old son, and I was like why am I having like a mas o menos de ja vu... It was really sweet and weird at the same time.

3. With Hermana Espinoza and I there is never a boring moment right! We did an activity with Cata and her family about service. We had them, Isabel, Manuel, and Cata write letters to someone beloved. Cata was the most normal one because she wrote the letter to her dad. Isabel, she is an older lady, decides to write it to Heavenly Father... haaha! There is nothing wrong with that, but it was so unexpected, and very funny. Manuel he writes his letter for the Sisters Espinoza... for us. Before he tells us, he asks me your name is Hermana Espinoza too, right? And I was like uuuh, no. And then I say to him but if you want me to be I will... it was really funny.

4. We had a lesson with Eloy on Wednesday right and so he decides to bring his friend. And his friend is just as mystical and hippy like him, but a younger version. And he says to us that there is water on mars, and Hermana Espinoza understood wrong and thought that he had said that there was water on cheese. It was really funny!!

The week was super great! I am so happy to be here in El Monte serving a mission. I love these people, my companion, my bishop here and at home! ;) And my dear Heavenly Father, and my older Brother Jesus Christ. God is real, and He loves us. I love Him so much and I try every single day to follow His example. I love to talk to Him, He is my friend. My best friend. I love Him. And you all too!

Hermana Durfee

(side not from sister)

If anyone wants to give Josie something for Christmas feel free to contact me by email.
alexmdurfee14@gmail.com

Have you ever heard the voice of God?

Family, Hey! So, we received transfers yesterday and we are both staying! QUE BUENO! But yeah!!

1. I fell yesterday, it was actually really funny. We were going to visit one of our less actives and she lives in these apartments right?, so we go upstairs and she is not home so we go back down stairs because we need to take money out too, so as I am going down the stairs one of our contacts on the bottom floor is opening the door and I see him, and then as I step down I don't even know what happened, I like rolled my ankle or something and tried to be cool. It is like the nerdy kid in high school that is trying to flirt with the cheerleader and he like klutzily falls over, that is what happened yesterday with the guy that we contacted the other day... but I am okay. It was actually really funny.

2. Eloi (Eloeee) is our miracle hippy! Let me tell you we had a flipping miracle! I love it when we find people and like a couple of weeks ago we had tracted a house and he was like yeah you guys can come on Saturday in the morning, and we were like okay cool so we passed on Saturday but late, because this sector is huge and we have to walk so like yeah... it was not a very good combo but hey, this leads me to yesterday we planned to pass for him yesterday and he was in the house! Woohoo with his mom so we could go into the house and everything, it was so great. And so yeah we teach him how to pray and he wanted to do the first prayer, so we were like yeah okay, you can do it. In the middle of his prayer he is like if you girls have something to say you can say it and Hermana Espinoza was like it is okay... haaha! something that you need to know is that he is like this hippy slash believe in God kind of guy and so it was all cool in the school kind of drift with him in the lesson. So, yeah we are like teaching him and everything, and he is like yeah sometimes I go to meditate. And then all serious and everything Have you ever heard the voice of God? He asks us and we are like no... and he is like I have, and we are like dumbstruck because it was cool and everything..., and so then we are like trying to close the lesson, but he asks us if we are thirsty and we are like sure, why not? so yeah we continue to teach him and I am inviting him to pray morning and night right, and he begins laughing, and I am like why are you laughing? And he is like you just answered my prayer. I was like uhhhh, okay. Yeah and then he was saying that he eats all healthy and everything and asks us do you guys eat healthy? And we are like ummm yeah! lol! And then he gives us this cookie as we finish the lesson, and it might have been... I don't know... maybe with something weird. I ate it, and might have acted a little interesting after, maybe I was laughing terribly too much, but hey!! I am okay... we told one of the sisters in our ward and she was like you guys probably were like drugged, like with a pot cookie or something.... But yeah! Don't worry I will be more careful.

3. We had a visit with Cata our baptismal date and helped her do her homework. It is always such a fun ride when we are with her family because therere is always something going on... Well this time we are doing homework and everything right, and we begin talking to her mom and she says that she is looking for a job and Cata is like SER MORMONA! or be mormon. and her mom is like they pay you? It was actally really funny!! These are my highlights!! Ahaah!! I love the gospel! I know that President is called of God, we didnt have interveiws yet, by the way! But yeah! I love you! Have a great week!

Hermana Durfee

I don´t know what I want to call this....

Family,

So, this week has been a good one. We have been working harder and are trying to be more obedient and more receptive to the Spirit. We had a training session on Thursday and I just felt that there was so many things that we need to do better. But hey then I remembered that I need to remember the things that we are doing right. One of the most amazing things about serving a mission is that you really get to learn what is the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is something that is so amazing!!! I love that I am not perfect because I get to learn how to apply it. But hey then I remember what I do wrong... It is like this cycle... ahaha. But hey, my little sister said that I was inspiring and so I just need to trust in her... lol. I don´t know if I would consider myself inspiring. But that is okay.

This week were are going to have interveiws with Presidente in the house!!!!! NOOO!! We cleaned for four hours of our p day today and we are whipped! Flipping whipped!!! I spent like three hours outside just playing ax murderer with all the flipping weeds that are in our front yard. I used a knife and a skirt because we had no equipment!! NO Fetching equipment!! Wooo! What are we going to do? I don´t know. We think that we are going to have interveiws tomorrow... wish us luck that the Hermana Barreiros will like the house. ahaha! The spiritual message... ummm make sure that the house is cleaned so that you have the Spirit with you at all times!! :DDD

I LOVE YOU!!

Hermana Durfee

Short and sweet!! this was from a month ago... sorry

Hey sorry this is going to be short!

I am doing really well!! We had transfers and my new compy is Hermana Espinoza. She is a lot different from Hermana Erthal, but that is okay I need to learn from her and her from me! She is from Las Vegas and has 23 years. She is really fun and I love her already!!

This week has been an amazing week!! Victor, Elena and Demi went to church again!! I am so excited because little by little they are progressing! I am so thankful!! President has called me Hermana Dulce in my letter and then he was like you guys need to seek baptism!! So, I will!!! We need to baptize. My dad wrote me and said that if his ward that he has is going to progress they need more converts. WE AS MISSIONARIES HAVE THE SACRED POWER TO TEACH AND TO BAPTIZE!!! I am so thankful for this so I encourage each and everyone of you to be a missionary this week!! Look for the little moments I am sure they are there! You can do it!!

I am so excited for the work. Hermana Espinoza and I are going to work for Demi to get baptized in two weeks!! We are going to do it!! I know we can!! I am so excited for her, and I know that through her she will be able to help her dad and mom get married and her dad to reactivate and in time her mom to be baptized. Dalia too, she is progressing little by little. She is amazing. And I love her I think she may be my other mom from Colombia!! Ahaha! But yeah, she went to the ward activity that we had on Saturday and it went so well!! I am so excited for her. I have learned a lot of patience with my investigators because conversion like Elder Holland says is not a cheap experience and takes time sometimes, but I know that it can happen!

I love you all!

Hermana Dulce!! lol!

I HAVE SURVIVED!!

My beloved son, I write to you again so that you know that I am still alive... - Moroni 9:1 I know that it is not a joke earthquakes and everything, it was just funny the scripture...

Hey beloved family, I just want you all to know that I am okay. We have had an earthquake here in Chile last night, and my companion and I have lived through it.We are all okay and happy, maybe a little bit psyched and with adrenaline, but yeah we are okay. Don´t worry, any of you, we are okay here in Chile.

It was a little bit funny last night because when the earthquake happened we were a little bit excited and we were visiting one of our investigators and she was super scared. But Hermana Erthal and I were like on a roller coaster... ready for more. Then we decided that we should go home, Hermana Erthal says to me that we should go home, and when she said that I felt that we should too. So we went home. We didn´t really sleep last night, but we are okay. We have leaders for a reason, and so we will be okay.

We had a little miracle because when we were walking to our house the bishop called us to see if we were okay. And it is just nice to know that he was worried about us. He told us to go straight home and not talk to anyone, and not open the door to anyone. Then when we got into the house our zone leaders called us and told us to go home. It was really an impression of the Holy Spirit. We are listening to his directions, don´t worry Mom, don´t worry Dad. We will be okay. I love you all, and just want you to know that everything happens for a reason. So yeah! Until Tuesday!! Love you all a bunch with so much love that is indescribagle!!!!!

Hermana Dulce (according to Hermana Erthal)

I love being tired after a day of missionary work....

Family!!

First I think that I would choose to go to Harry Potter world in this moment if I was at home... and I think that I have been around dogs for too long that I would love a cat right now. ;) I think that the only person who understands this is my little sister Alex.

So!! The work goes on, and on and on. It will never ever stop going on because Heavenly Father loves His children and for some weird reason He trusts in me to help Him out, here in El Monte. But yeah, so this week has been a great week. We have been working so hard. I got sick again on Saturday with a really weird cold thing that has my neck hurting and my throat really tight and everything so when this happened we stayed in the pension and did not go to the ward meeting on Sunday before sacrament meeting and my compy says to me [Amo el verano!* and let me tell you here in Chile it is already super hot.... what are we going to do when it is the end of the year!! Then yesterday I still felt really bad so, I went back to sleep and did not study because my neck was killing me. It is that season folks where everyone gets sick. How great!!

But yeah, so this past week was a week full of miracles. It was an amazing week, and let me tell you that Heavenly Father loves me and his children here in El Monte because we found 20 new investigators this past week, usually it is like eight but we found 20. In these past three weeks we have found 54, I know numbers are not important, but I think that Heavenly Father is puting people in our way so that we can have miracle. Two of these news went to church this Sunday, Claudia and Francisco. We invited them to be baptized and they accepted!!! We will help the Lord and they will be baptized. Today I am feeling a lot better just so that you know. I am a lot more awake and excite, I just need to be more careful. The weather here in Chile is really extreme in the morning it is really cold in the afternoon really hot and in the evening cold again, so I just need to be more careful.

I am so excited for this week!!! I hope that you are too!!!!!

I Love you all!!!

La Hermana Durfee

You never ever know with President...

So family!

How is everyone doing? I am doing so great! I am excited and working hard, trying to be worthy of the miracles that God gives me every single day. I am really anxious because I am being transferred, but yet I don´t know. I am so happy to have had the blessing and priveledge to have trained my daughter of the mission, Hermana Hatch. She is absolutely amazing. She makes me happy, and is always looking for ways to serve me. This transfer has been a rollercoaster of emotions like every transfer. We have miracles every day every week, every minute and every second. God loves us and wants us to be able to return to Him. Something that has just occurred to me while typing this letter is that the mission is a mini version of what it is like with our Heavenly Father. We leave for a short time from His presence trying to do the best we can and we are always short but Christ makes up for it. We leave our families for a short time and have to use the atonement the same.

When we were waiting or transfers on Saturday we were just waiting and waiting. Then our liders de zona called us saying that we havent had transfers, like all of the mission has not had transfers. And my compy and I were like uhh what? And he kept on talking telling us that there had been changes in the mission, but the transfers had not occurred yet. So, now as a mission we plan every Monday for our week and Tuesday is our Pday. Then last night when we were finishing to plan Elder Balarezo calls us and in his english that he knows tells us tht i have tranfers. It was funny in his english, but sad, because I love my ward so much. I still have to ready my suitcases, but yeah it does not matter. If there is one thing about the mission is that you NEVER EVER know with Presidente. He is always just so willing to to the will of the Lord. The mission so sweet, but yet so bitter. I love you alll!! Hermana DUrfeee

¿Donde hallo el solaz?

Donde hallo el solaz, donde el alivio cuando mi llanto nadie puede calmar cuando muy triste estoy o enojado y me aparto a meditar. Cuando la pena estal que languidezco, cuando las causas busco de mi dolar, Donde hallo a un ser que me consuele? quien puede compreder? Nuestro Senor. El siempre cerca esta, me da su mano. En mi Getsamani, es mi Salvador. El sabe dar la paz que tanto quiero. Con gran bondad y amor me da valor. This is Where can I turn for peace? in Spanish and lately it has been my theme song. When we are tracting and walking to appointments I have just been thinking about my Savior and my Heavenly Father and how insignificant I am but then how significant I am. How it is for everyone of His children. He knows us inside and out, everyone of us our Father in Heaven and His son, our older Brother Jesus Christ. I have never felt like this before. At this point in my mission I am realizing more and more that it is such an amazing priveledge to be able to invite others to come to Christ by helping them have faith in Him, repent, be baptized by immersion with someone who holds the preisthood authority and recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. It is so amazing that Heavenly Father trusts in us so much to preach His gospel. But yet we are human, we make mistakes, we sin, we get mad, we get sad.... What amazing gift He gives us to preach the gospel. So, I have never felt like this before one week before transfers. I am actually really, really sad. Because my zone and I we are united. We are here in Penaflor doing are best to hasten the work and I love everyone of these elders and sisters that I have been with for now three months they are amazing. Elder Alcaraz and Elder Balarezo are my zone leaders and they are just amazing. Can I tell you how amazing they are?! They make me want to be a better person. My district leader too. He is going home this transfer and it is really sad because he is an amazing missionary. His name is Elder Peel from Utah, he told us yesterday that they, him and his comp are so thankful that we are here in the district. That made me and Hermana Hatch cry. WE love him very much. But yeah!! Remember to do everything in you power and pray for help. Heavenly Father is here to help and loves you!! I love you too!! Have an amazgin week! Hermana Durfee

Sound the bugle now....

Oh Family, Hey. This week has been amazing. Firstly, I am sorry that the week before my letter was terrible, the technology just was being dumb. But yeah, so I have had an experience that I will never ever forget. Firstly, on Wednesday I received my birthday package and speaking of birthday!! Happy Birthday DAD!! I am so sorry that I didnt telly ou last week. But yeah, so on Wednesday I recieved my birthday package and when I opened it I read the letters. Here is a little background. During these past couple of weeks I have been feeling that I should add more time to my mission. And so during these past couple of weeks I have been studying the scriptures, praying and fasting. And on Wednesday I opened my package and just had an afirmation that I need to extend. When I recieved this it was just so hard for me to except, but I just knew that I needed to do it. I just felt that Heavenly Father was saying that for something I need to extend. And so, yeah, it was an experience that I will never forget. I will admit that I was terribly sad, because I have had this mentality all this time that I will be home in January, but Heavenly Father has a different plan for me. Yesterday we taught Angelina and she is amazing. I am so excited to continue teaching her because she is so receptive. She just needs to come to church. Her siblings were watching a movie. And I heard the music and it was from Spirit. I recognized it right away because well I grew up with my big sister and cousin and I just rocking out to the music... lol. That is why my title is that... it is good song. I think that it is the theme of my mission. The words are ¨sound the bugle now, play it just for me... and then Im a soldier now fighting in a battle to be free once more yeah that's worth fighting for.¨ I truly feel that I am a spirtual warrior in this war against good and evil. What a priveledge. Thanks to my father in Heaven. I lvoe you all!! Hermana Durfee

¨Tock, Tock,¨ ¨Quien es?¨ ¨Hatch,¨ ¨Hatch quien?¨ knock knock jokes dont really work in Spanish...

Hey!!! So, today I am no longer a teenager... que triste. I am now twenty years old. I am so old.... Wow!! LOL. This week has been a good one!! I have been growing spiritually these past two months I have actually realized it. Lol. If you want to get to know the Savor more, and to become more like Him just go on a mission. It will do the job! Haha! I hope you all had a wonderful fourth of July. Here in Chile we had the Latina America Copa! Or Soccer. We won of course! :D I didn't watch the game, but we were cleaning the house because Presidente wanted us to be in the house at five on Saturday for our safety and so we cleaned and our neighbors were all cheering and we could here when we made goals, because they would yell GOAL!!!!!!! and yeah that was that. Also, Chile has been in need of much rain lately and so this fast Sunday as a country we fasted for rain I also wanted rain for my birthday. And something that happended that was super cool was after lunch on Sunday after the fast it began to rain really hard. And so here we are, my companion and I after lunch tromping in the rain thinking that we shoud take advantage of the time we have to proselyte because at four thirty we had a capacitacion (I forgot this word in English... sorry) with Presidente, and so we tracted in the rain and then went to the stake center and we were wet to the bone. But, something really funny was that we sang the song The wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house upon the rock. Ahajajaja!! It was really fun actually. So, with my title you all are probably wondering what I am talking about. Well, yesterday we went to visit Manuel after the capacitacion and he is so funny sometimes. We were talking and then he says to my companion ( her name is Hermana Hatch, this is information necesary), Say your name. She says hatch. and then he is like Salud, or bless you! Oh it was hilarious because he was so serious, he reminds me of you, Jeffrey. And then afterwards Hermana Hatch tries to do a knock knock joke in Spanish and well, I am sorry it just does not work!! Lol!! The joke in english is knock knock! Whos there? Hatch. Hatch who? Bless you. Try doing it in Spànish no sirve, it doesn't work.... LOL!! We have been working with Ignacia. She is a young teen of fourteen years. She is amazing really her experiences remind me of Joseph Smith because when we first began teaching her she didn't really know what church and who and if there was a God... and so she began looking and searching and the moment was perfect because we knew that we had what she needed. :) She now has a baptism date for the 18 of July. She and all of her family will be members. I KNOW IT!! God is amazing. I remember my mom asking me what I wanted for my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I think that everything that I asked for will come or has come to pass. I read an amazing talk that has helped me have comfort for those of my loved ones who need my prayers and are lost. God loves me. He knows that I am trying everyday. He knows my heart aches and that sometimes I feel alone without anyone, and that is when I kneel down and just yell and tell Him how I feel. God loves me. He knows that I don't mean to make mistakes, and that sometimes I am human and get grouchy or am mean. But He accepts who I am, was, and will be. That is the amazing thing about the atonement. I am so thankful the church is true. I am so thankful for Presidente and Hermana Barrieros. They are amazing and help me seguir adelante. I love my companion and my district and zone. They have all made this day amazing. I love my ward and my area. I hope that you have a great week!! I love you!!! Hna Durfee

Chile is called chile because when it is winter it is really cold!! Ahaha! I crack myself up!

Hey!!!!!!!! What is up there up there in Missouri, in Utah? What is going awwnn? Yeah yo soy gangster now! and also a missionary! You guys will not believe what happened to us this past week! My companion is cleaning the bathroom and it is just like anyother p day we getting ready to leave to go and eat lunch and by groceries. She is cleaning and I am down stairs eating a hard boiled egg and I hear ^HERMANA DURFEE!!!!`And I am like what has happened! So I runn up the stairs and there she is with water that is coming out of the bathroom pipe, and to make matters worse the water was hot. So yeah. I began laughing and she was like the water is hot! So I ran outside to turn off the water heater. And went back up stairs to take pictures.... Fortunately she figured out how to turn off the water, but now our bathrooms are falling a part. And today we talked to Elder Moore and he is like yeah I will call a maestro to fix your bathroom today! He was guilty! LOL. Aaahhh gee whiz you are never bored in the mission.

The other day we were walking and a this kid that likes weed, was like Hermanas! Hermanas! And we were like what!? He is like do you guys like the weed of chile? And I was like uhhh no. And then we invited him to the concert that we had yesterday! So, Sharlee, I am really trying not to do drugs! ;) LOL!!

I love you all So much!! Have faith in your trials!! Be of Good cheer the Savior has gone through it before us so we know that we can! Lucas 22:39-44. Manuel is doing better! Thank you to all who gave me a little advisce! I love you all1!

Hermana Durfee

There is a lake in our room...

So, this week has been a good one let me tell you!! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalala! Gracias for the emails! I really appreciate it and all the prayers by the way. There is a kid here in Chile that really appreciates all that you guys do there in the States really, there is. But yeah. so today we were cleaning and the pipe in my companion's bathroom broke and so now we have a lake in our room. Don't worry we called the assistants but they didn't answer, but it will be okay. :D Haha!

Today has been a good day! Yesterday was amazing we had a great lesson with one of our investigators and let me tell you that my goodness miracles do happen every once in a while. And I am so thankful for this area that I am serving in for Obispo Faundes for Hermano Berrios. For everything here. I am just lleno con gratitud, say that in a country accent, it is funny. Ahah! But yeah! I am sorry this letter is bit short today. But yesterday we had a miracle and her name is Rebeca, she is amazing and I love her like I love my family. She is an eternigator, but pronto she will be member!! Aha! I gotta go! Have a great week! Alma 17;2-3

Have a wonderful DAY!!

Love you all with all of my heart might mind and soul!

Hermana Durfee