Elder Casper 5/29/2008

Dear Family-

Well it´s been a great week, a little crazy as the first week of the change always is, but it went well. I swear Murphy´s law always hits us in week 6 and change week. Things always go wrong. If we plan things great and if we make back up plans for things, there is always something else that goes wrong. It´s really funny and I love being around Hermana and President because they take everything with humor.

On Tuesday we picked up the new missionaries at the MTC and at 1:20 the only gringo arrived. The only problem was that at 1:20 Elder Oakes and Elder Sappenfield weren’t at the airport. The new missionary walked out of the international arrival and a taxi driver took advantage of him, knowing that he didn’t speak Spanish and brought him all the way to Rancagua which is a hour and a half drive. And on top it off, on the way to Rancagua the taxi driver stopped at a gas station and asked Elder Ollerton for his credit card so he could pay. But remember that the new missionary came from the MTC and doesn’t speak Spanish. Well he gave him his credit card and the taxi driver went into the ATM machine and took out the maximum amount that you can in one day here in Chile which is $400. It was pouring cats and dogs and by the time he arrived to the mission home he was drenched, tired, hungry, scared, worried about his money, confused and in a complete foreign country. I can´t imagine how he must have felt, we all felt so bad and that was the most serious I have ever seen President and Hermana Resek.

We were getting ready to have the new missionary class with their trainers at the mission home and Hermana got a phone call telling us that a missionary was alone at the airport. After an hour of no results finding him, President and Hermana left and went to the airport to help Elder Oakes and Elder Sappenfield find Elder Ollerton. I got to do the newbies and trainers class with Elder Adams and ee had a lot of fun.

Throughout the rest of last week we were really busy preparing everything for changes. Then on Wednesday Elder Adams parents arrived, but I didn’t get to meet them until Saturday. It was so good to meet them and finally and get to see where Elder Adams comes from. I can totally see where he inherited his mannerisms and personality. His parents were really nice and they took us out to lunch and for a couple of the days we were with them and it was nice to get to know them a little. Elder Adams asked me if I want to live with he and a few other friends of his in a condo when I get home. I would love to but not for awhile after I get home, to be honest I just want to be with the family for a bit.

On Sunday Elder Adams and his parent came to church, and after church we ate lunch at a sisters home named Ziola. It was way fun and Zoila is the coolest person in the world, she gives lunch to all the office elders once a week and she just puts a smile on my face every time I see her. On Monday Elder Adams and his parents came to the office to say good bye. Elder Adams home coming is on the 8th of June and he will be expecting you to be there. Makes sure to give him a call this week if you get the chance.

Its been a great week and its flown by. On Sunday I had the privilege to speak in church and I spoke on "being nurtured by the good word of God". I really enjoyed the topic and it was interesting because while I was preparing my talk I looked up the word nutrition in the dictionary and it said some very interesting things. It amazed me at how everything that exists relates with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know that this is the church of God. I know that Christ is the corner stone of this church and that the apostles and prophets are called of God to lead us through this troubled world. I am filled with gratitude every time I read the scriptures. They, in reality are the words of God. I know Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet who receives revelation for our necessities. Thanks so much for everything, I know its been over a week and a half since I have written and I will write again on Saturday. Know that I am doing well and that I am experiencing what true happiness is. I love you, I love you, I love you.

1-4-3-4,

Elder Mason Casper

Elder Casper 5/19/2008

Dear family-

Well it’s been a great week full of many unforgettable experiences. The week has flown by and I can’t beileve that it has been over a week since we talked to eachother.

Well to start off, on Monday we had our weekly meeting with president and we finished up the changes. While we were talking about changes president asked Elder Garcia if he could talk to me for a minute. Elder Garcia left the room and president said that he was going to send Elder Garcia out in the mission field to finish his mission in a normal sector and told me that I will be here to the end of my mission. I am way excited to be here in the office until the end. Then he told me that Elder Oakes is going to be my companion…Elder Oakes, again, how sweet is that? Elder oakes and I are going to be companions again, he goes home in 2 months and I go home in 4 months. I am going to kill Elder Oakes here, im so excited to be with him again although I am going to miss Elder Garcia so much. He has been such an amazing companion, a great person and a great friend. It was a pleasure to work with him.

Elder Oakes and I will have a great time again, he was my second companion after Elder Hutchens and we didn’t have any experience as missionaries when we were together. We always said: "hopefully we can be companions again". We never thought it would really happen, but it did and we feel truly blessed. Thinking over this past week I have come to the realization that the Lord has blessed me so much with such amazing companions. Each one of them has been placed in my life at the perfect time, right when I needed them. I am overwhelmed by the love that my Heavenly Father has for me and for the blessings he poors upon me daily.

It was so awesome to talk to you on Sunday, I love you all so stinking much. We are so blessed to have eachother and especially to have the gospel in our lives. Thanks for everything you do for me I love you so very much.

On Friday we were eating with President and Hermana Resek and Elder Johnson called from the 1st quorm of the 70. He asked president if he had someone who could translate for him on Saturday and Sunday in a stake conference in La Bandera stake. President asked me if I could do it and on Saturday and Sunday I had the opportunity to translate for a general authority. It was such an amazing experience, a spiritual one. I am very grateful for the gift that God has given me to speak and interpretate another language. Whenever I translate I always feel the spirit so strong, it just carries me and God speaks through me. On Sunday we went to the conference with all of president´s kids and I sat with them until I had to translate and it reminded me so much of going to church with Cole and Harrison. They argued the whole time and it was so funny to watch and think back on the time with Cole and Harrison. We surely are blessed to have them in our lives.

Yesterday afternoon we had a baptism of a little kid that is 8 named Matías. His parents are active members but aren't married and live together. He asked me to baptize him and I felt honored by the opportunity that I had to be part of that ordinance. It blows my mind how much confidence the Lord has in me to allow me to baptize his children and perform sacred ordinances such as baptism.

Today Elder Adams and I took Elder Garcia to his new sector and it was sad to see him go. Elder Adams parents get here on Wednesday and he is really excited. I'm way excited because I will be with him today and tomorrow and on Wednesday I will get to meet his parents. We were talking today and he is so excited to meet you Mom and Dad. His homecoming is on the 8th of June and he wants you to go really bad. He will be calling you when he gets home, it would be really good if you could go to meet and support him. It will be weird saying bye to my best mission buddy. It will be a lot different without him here.

It was really good to hear that you saw brother beck at the baseball game. If you run into him again tell him hi for me and thanks for everything.

Well tomorrow all the new missionaries get here, this change there are only six new missionaries, so it’s a really small group. Also Eva that was going to get baptized next week told us on Tuesday that she didn’t want to continue listening and that she doesn´t want us to pass by her house any more. It made us really sad but I feel tranquil because we did what we were supposed to do and she made the decision not to listen or be baptized. But Teresa is still doing well and we found a new family named Pedro and Roxana. They are evangelicals but are really sincere people and are very interesed in our message.

It's been a great week and I look forward to hearing from you next week. Know that I love you and miss you and that you are in my every thought and prayer. Tell everyone hi for me and that I love them. Tell Josh Hutchens thanks for his email, it helped me a lot and made me want to be better. Thanks to you all, family for making me want to be a better person and allowing me to strive to live the gospel and make good decisions in my life. Sissy thanks for your letter...i'm sorry if I don’t write you, I don’t have much time but I will make sure to write when I find the time. I love you all so much and thanks for all you do, you are the greatest family in the world. I love you, I love you, I love you.

1-4-3-4,

Elder Mason Casper

Elder Casper 5/10/2008

Hey fam -

Well it's Saturday and I will be talking to you tomorrow. It's been a good week, we set another baptismal date with another older woman named Teresa. We also changed Eva´s date for next Sunday the 18th instead of the 25th. She is awesome and progressing really fast, she just has to go to church 3 times and then she can be baptized. Well, I love you so much and I will talk to you tomorrow, 5:30p my time and 3:30p your time.

1-4-3-4,

Elder Mason Casper

Elder Casper 5/04/2008

Dear family-

Hey ya´ll, how are things going? It sounds like all is well and that you are having a great time in San Diego. It was good to hear that Michael was baptized and that he wanted Ashton to do it. It's such a privilege to be able to baptize Gods children. Our Father in Heaven truly does trust a lot with his authority. How is the whole family doing? Was every one excited to see Lauren? How is everything going with the tournament and was it a good turn out? I sure hope that all has gone well and that everybody had a good time.

As for me it has been a great week. We have had a ton of time in the sector this week and we have been so blessed. On Monday sister Shirley called me and said: "Elder Casper, I just got off the bus and I was talking to one of my friends that I have known for 14 years but it had been about 2 years since we had seen each other. She asked me what religion I belong too and I told her I was Mormon. She was surprised and then told me that she wanted to learn more about the church". It was really cool because right after she had talked to her friend named Eva she called us. That same night we went and taught her. In the first lesson we extended her the date for the 25th of may for baptism, and she said: "Yes I will be baptized, but…do I have to pay for that?" It was so funny and we were dying laughing. We then answered her no and we finished and left. On Tuesday we returned and she had read the Book of Mormon and also had prayed about the prophet Joseph Smith. She received an answer and said that it was a feeling that she and never felt in her life. She said, "It was a burning in my bosom and I couldn’t stop crying. It was marvelous." She then said she had a dream that Elder Garcia and I were on her side teaching her from the Book of Mormon. She went to the branch activity that we had on Wednesday and she loved it. What has been so great though is that my other convert Maria Isabel, that has been struggling a little bit, has come with us to the lessons and it has helped her a lot to strengthen her testimony and to be a lot more positive. It has been such a great experience to see the hand of the Lord in our lives and sector in the many blessings that we have received this week. We also found 9 new investigators this week and one of them is a family named Luis and Elizabeth and they are so awesome. They remind me a lot of Jimmy and Julia, and I feel at home when I walk into they're house. They didn’t go to church today because they went to the southern part of Chile to Dove hunt. But the greatest thing was getting to know Eva. Yesterday we went to teach her and she said, "I just got back from the mall, I went and bought a dress so that I look my best tomorrow at church". And when we passed by today to see how she is doing she was reading the Book of Mormon and is already in the book of Jacob. In 6 days she has read 150 pages and says it’s hard to put it down. She is so prepared for the gospel; I believe that she is the most prepared individual that I have seen thus far in my mission. The desires she has, make me want to be a better person; it’s amazing what one can learn from investigators.

On Monday I had my interview with president and it went really well. He always helps me so much. I will miss my interviews and conversations with him, he is so inspired and has been a great example to me in my life. Elder Garcia and I are doing well. I am pretty sure that he will die here in the office so that means we will be together for 1 more change until I leave. I am so happy to be with him, he is such a great companion and friend, we get along so well and I will miss him so much when its my time to leave.

Yesterday we went to this really pretty hill about 20 minutes from Rancagua and on top there are Ruins from ancient Indians, it was really interesting and really cool to see. I can't even imagine the olden times of the Nephites and Lamanites.

Well It has been a good week and I will be talking to you on Sunday. I will let you know what time and and what number here in the next couple of days. I love you all so very much and I am so excited to hear your voices and feel of the amazing spirit that you carry. I love you all so very much for all that you do for me, always remember that you are thought of daily. I love you, I love you, I love you.

1-4-3-4,

Elder Mason N. Casper