Elder Casper 6/15/2008

Dear family-

Hey guys how are things going? How was your week and weekend? Dad how was the U.S. Open and did Tiger pull it off? How is the rest of the family doing? Dad are you and Papa prepared for Tuesday? I hope all continues to go well and that you guys can play well on Tuesday. Oh and one more thing…DAD HAPPY FATHERS DAY, you’re the bomb and I love you so very much. Thanks for all of your example to me and the amazing infulence you are in my life and in our families life.

Its been another great week. We have found a lot more time in the sector this week and we have been blessed. As usual the first three weeks of the change are always crazy and then in week four and five we have time in the sector to prepare it for the first three weeks of next change. We had some really neat experiences this week. One of them was on Tuesday morning when we went to teach a family named Shezzare and Natalia. They are a young couple with three kids. He is from Peru and she is from Chile. We had planned to teach them about how they can find more happiness in their family. When we were getting ready to go teach Elder Arévalos said: "Elder we could take our parents testimonies that they wrote us and share it with them." After all it was the perfect idea because you precisely had written about how the gospel has blessed our family. Immediately following that we went to the office and just changed the names from Pedro and Roxana to Shezzare and Natalia. After we had shared a few parts from the proclamation to the world we gave the a copy of your testimonies and asked them to read. Natalia started crying and was so emotional for the amount of preocupation that we had given them. They were taken back by your testimonies and they wanted me to thank you and tell you that it helped them a lot. She asked me for your email addresses so she can write you a thank you letter. I also want to thank you for you powerful testimonies and compassion for our Lord and Savior. It was a huge blessing for me to receive your testimonies and we feel that it was very inspired to ask you to send them to us because we never ended up teaching Pedro and Roxana this week but your testimonies were needed for another family.

It was really funny because on Friday night when we got back to the office and when we printed off our emails, I opened my account and I had an email from President Resek which read: "Elder Casper, Cabrera missed the cut in the U.S. Open which is sad and Tiger is in the run for first, love Pte. Resek". Cabrera is from Argentina and that’s why he said that. Its way funny because he always updates me on Golf. He has been really sick this whole week and he had a trip planned to go to Santa Cruz with his family for the weekend but they had to cancel it because he has been sick, but he is feeling better now.

It was good to hear that you had gone up to Andrew´s homecoming, that made me happy and to see the picture of all you guys together. He wrote me yesterday and said that it was really nice meeting you. I miss him here but it will be fun to see him again in 3 months. It sounds like he is doing really well, he sent me his talk and it was really good and it was on a very important subject that one truly comes to understand much better in the mission. Send him my love and tell him that all from Villa Teniente send their love.

It sounds like the boys are busy and enjoying the summer break. Tell them to keep up the hard work with baseball and take them out golfing when you get the chance. Tell Laur that I love and miss her and that, "yu godda probem wif me I godda probem wif yu yu yu". Laurs I love you and cant wait to hear from you again. Tell Ash and Lace I love and miss them and that I would love you hear from them when they get a chance. Send my love to all family and friends.

On Friday night we had a really neat experience when we found a new young couple named Juna and Vanesa. They have a young buy named Benjamin and they are going through some pretty rough financial problems. They have come to the point where they don’t even believe in God anymore. When we entered the house she told us right off the bat what their problems were and that gave us a sense of direction to what we ought to teach. We taught lesson 2 about the plan of salvationa and it was precisely what they needed. Without knowing they had a baby girl that died just before birth. She had a still-born and they had no idea what had happened with their daughter. At the end of the lesson they told us that the believe in God but they just feel that he has abandoned them. They have a lot of problems at this moment but they were very grateful and mentioned that they need help and to become closer to God. Juan is a truck driver and over that past month he as received 3 speeding tickets and a speeding ticket here in Chile is really expensive for most people. He owes like 6 hundred dollars to the government and they don’t have the money. She sales vegitables out of here garage and that doesn’t cover their necesities. We invited them to church and Juan said: "We will do everything that you invite us to do but for now we can´t go to church on Sunday, we have to work so that we can pay off our debt". At least they have desires and little by little we will help them to understand that the key to receiving blessings is Obedience.

Today we had one investigator in church and as of now we don’t have anybody that is progressing towards baptism. We are working with three complete families right now and it is such a blessing to work with families, because after all is said and done the gospel blesses families. I received emails from The Pickering family and Mike and Devron. Please send them my love and let them know that I will send letters off tomorrow. Its been another great week and I have learned so much from my companions. Elder Oakes and Arévalos are doing great, we are enjoying our time together and on Friday the new missionary couple gets here. Their names are the Mason family. Hmmm what a coincidence. It will be nice having them here and it will reduce a lot of the office work for us as missionaries and we will have a lot more time in the sector.

I love you all and thanks for everything, it is such a blessing to know that you all are doing well and that the Lord continues to bless our family daily. Send all my love and know that you all are in my thoughts and prayers. Until next week, work hard, study hard and do what is right and the Lord will bless you in marvelous ways. I love you, I love you, I love you.

1-4-3-4,

Elder Mason Neill Casper