We will not won't give up, let up, or shut up until we have paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

This week Elder Marín and I ran more than I have ever before in a white shirt and tie.

This week we had two companion exchanges. The first was Tuesday, I came to Pozo Almonte with Elder Kennedy (from Idaho) and the second was Friday with Elder Zangara (from Argentina) again in Pozo, and with them both I learned quite a bit about contacts lessons everything. I had a lot of fun. In Chile a house has a door and then about 75% of the house have a wall/fence around their home and generally to touch the door you stand outside the fence and knock on the gate and shout, "Alo" and then sometimes people come out. However Elder Zangara he would just open the gate and walk in and go straight to the door. One house we approached one house and they had a dog, a big white dog, who was very aggressive as we approached inside the fence, barking jumping showing us his teeth etc., and then once we got the gate and knocked the gate he just walked away to the other side of the yard, as we waited a little a noticed that the house has a doorbell on the house itself, and I pointed it out to Elder Zangara. So we entered and rang the doorbell, and the man inside was very suprised that we rang the doorbell and told us that his dog never likes people coming in. Just so shocked. I enjoyed the expressions he had on his face. 

Anyways that´s a side story of the main event of the week. 

     Elder Zangara came up to Pozo to do an interview for baptism with Elizabeth Flores, and she passed. She was baptized Saturday, May 26th 2012, and that day was crazy. As I mentioned Elder Zangara was here on Friday and we needed to reexchange our companionships, and Alto Hospicio is about an hour travel. In the morning Elder Zangara and I started to fill the font and then grabbed a taxi for Alto Hospicio. We went to his pension only to find out that Elder Marín and Elder Ruiz (Companion of Elder Zangara) were in the church. (It´s about 12:30 at this time and the baptism is at 4) Elder Zangara and I quickly walk down the chapel (15 minutes). Find out that the baptism clothes are in the pension so Elder Marín and I take their keys and return to the pension find the clothes (15 again) and luckly Elder Howard shows up (who lives in the same pension) and we give him the keys and we take off for the bus station. (Another 12 minutes) We wait to talk to the...director I guess you can call her...she knows when the buses come and if we can buy tickets, and there are no seats for the rest of the day...What! so we have to catch a taxi down to Iquique about 20 minutes and from there we can catch a taxi back up to Pozo Almonte (no taxi stop exists in Alto Hospicio, you can get off there but not on a taxi) Finally at about 2:15 the taxi is ready (you have to wait until it is full and not many people go up to Pozo Almonte from Iquique) and we finally get the the chapel at 3:20 we set up the chairs in the rooms and we begin to make the program, and the font is still filling up. We think we are good everything is done, and then we hear the water stop. (the font is not full) The pump failed (We didn´t know that yet though) all of the water in the church stopped running. (oh as well there is no gas for the caliform, so the water is cold but we didn´t care) so we turn on everything that we can outside for water (the church here has a reserve tank [it was empty]) but we hear water start running again into the tank so we figure soon the water will start going into the font, (3:50) we run across Pozo to the ciber where we print the programs and the printer is broken. grr whatever so we take a taxi the the church (3:58) and on the way pass the Family of Elizabeth walking so we had one minute. The water never started back up...so running back and forth between the pump, the breaker box, and the font finally the pump starts up again, and the family arrives. We start the service and by the time we are ready to go to the font it´s full. And Elizabeth is baptized. 

We were tired and we didn´t have any lunch so we went and ate food and then had English class and then contacted. It´s was good 

We had a baptism, and we are very happy about it.

Have a Wonderful day-because you can choose to

     Elder James O. Gillespie

Back up and running

After a large part of the week in bed we are back up and running, well I´m back up- Elder Marín never had any problems.

Last Monday, as I noted, I went to a doctors and with my headache it became very difficult to communicate and he had to repeat his questions several times before I could interpret the significance of the question. However after two shoots, receiving a prescription for several different medicines, and lots of rest the amazing body overcomes the bacterias. :)

Tuesday we had a Zone Conference with President Bruce and Elder/Doctor Welch, the area doctor for the Chile missions, speaking about maintaining health, (I know now) and President speaking about contacting. The two zones from Arica came down as well bringing Elder Parker (MTC companion) wonderful to speak with him again.

While speaking with my family Mother´s day I realized nobody really know much about Pozo Almonte because when I cam here and described what is here I really had no idea about the town, so now that I know a lot more let me describe: 

     Pozo Almonte sits about one hour East from Alto Hospicio, where the next closest missionaries live, and about four hours south from Arica. It is flat as a pancake, the biggest change in elevation is from the street to the sidewalk. Natural green does not exist, pretty sure cactus would be thirsty. Weather it is winter here in Chile and for being the driest desert in the world the temperature at night drops amazingly low, and the wind comes ripping through the town taking any of the heat you had around your body away into the dead dry desert. (Kind of like Idaho in the winter with the wind [However not quite that cold]) I learned to carry a jacket in my backpack, and carry until evening because during the day the sun pounds down and it feels like summer and an ice cream treat would seem perfect. With all of this one might ask, ¨why would anyone begin to build there? or even in general in the north of Chile, there´s no water? the answer: Mines. From what I understand the main ore is copper, however others such as gold and silver exist. About 89% of the people in Pozo Almonte work in the mine working 12 hours a day for 7 days and then having 7 days off. That is the most common work here.

Well that´s all for now.

Have a Wonderful day- because you can choose to.

Elder James O. Gillespie

Letter

I´m feeling quite sick, and people know. I´m going to the doctors later this afternoon but it will probably be a couple days until I´m back up and running. 

It was nice talking to you. 

Have a Wonderful day
     Elder Gillespie

New transfer, new rules

Ok really the same rules- however a new effort. Elder Rojas leaves Pozo Almonte and heads for Calama, Elder Gillespie still stationed in Pozo Almonte with New Zone Leaders, a new District leader, and a new companion. Elder Mari (something like that) from Chile he will arrive Tuesday in the afternoon, and we will work super hard this month to grow the church. We were all very surprised when we found out I was staying, when Elder Relei called us to tell us our transfers we didn´t believe him at first. Accusing him of pulling our legs. However it´s true. We hope to have a few baptisms this month. Elizabeth finds everything in the church very exciting and interesting. English class is progressing- we learned the alphabet and how to say all the different letters, playing hangman and learning new words in English through hangman. Brownies, Chocolate chip cookies, and Chocolate no bake cookies are all hits down here. Mother´s day is coming and I´m pretty sure I´ve never looked more forward to it in my life. Have a Wonderful day- because you can choose to Elder James O. Gillespie