June 13th

Well, i do have to admit that I am a little disappointed that I cant brag about being the only kid you have taken to India, but I guess I'll just have to get over that. I know Mike and Cabrina are going to LOVE New Delhi and El Nido. I hope you have more time there than we did. That trip seemed to go by WAY to quickly. I have some great memories of our adventures out there, I just hope you dont get in any car accidents this time around.
Well, this week went well. We had interviews and it seems like President Humphrey is happy about how I am doing. It is really nice to have that opportunity to talk specifically about how to improve and learn from your mission president. The rest of the week went fairly well too. We have found a lot of good people but they all have specific difficulties and challenges. It is going to be hard to get a baptism before Elder Harmer finishes the mission which is tough for the both of us. Seeing as he only has two weeks left, I am trying to do everything I can to make these last weeks as rewarding as they can be.
So we tried to make american style onion rings this week and... well... they just werent the same so we are going to try and perfect the recipe so we can share something very gringo and cheap to make with the people here in Lirquén. One thing that I have learned in Chile is if you cant get into somebody's heart right away, charming them into receiving the gospel is sometimes necessary. (But this principle must be used with caution). I really want to help the people here in Lirquén receive the gospel but many have very views about the church and I have to keep adjusting the way I work to better fit this area but I feel like I am seeing progress which is what we want.
Hey Dad, so people still can't add me as a friend on facebook and they would greatly appreciate if you were able to get that fixed. (Mike can help). HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE.
Love ,
Elder McNeil 

June 6th

So did mom say something about you guys going to India again? Well, that's cool if you are. Also I hope things go well with the contractors. I want this project to be as problem free as possible for you. It was also great that you spent some time with Mike and Cabrina. I am sure they loved that little break from all the chaos of moving and getting settled in NC.
So this was another fun week. We worked hard and really saw some miracles with some recent converts and some less-active families who we are working with to complete their families. Unfortunately I don't have any news about our investigators but this sector is full of potential and I know that there is someone here waiting for us to knock their door. We have really been having a hard time finding people to teach which is when we need to get creative and learn to work differently. I have been learning a lot about patience and humility recently in my studies and now I am grateful for the chance to practice what I've been learning. It is a really great sector and the people are really nice but I am still working for getting a baptism before my comp finishes his mission in 3 weeks. We would have to find someone this week, have them come to church this sunday and then the next 2 after that but it is possible and what I am working for. He is a great missionary and deserves the chance to get into the water and baptize one more time.
So I really hope this house situation works out well and Mom, I know your calling in California is way different than it was in TX and MN but you are really helping these girls and the work you are doing is super important. Don't let yourself get tired and lose the desire to help those girls. Things will work out well because they always do when your are working on the Lord's side. So remember to work hard and do what you know you need to do. I love you guys a ton and hope things are going well.
Love,
Elder McNeil

May 30th

Hey,

So did you know how amazing the church's online store is? I just ordered like a ton of stuff that I needed and they are going to deliver it straight to the mission!

Sorry, sometimes you need to stop and think about how wonderful the little things in life are. So this week went really well. Well actually we are having a hard time finding people to teach but we are teaching and the lessons we are having are really great. We have also discovered how incredible the chruch's new Church HIstory DVD set is for teaching. They have a video or visual for everything! Once again, the little things in life are making me really happy.

This week we had Zone conference and since then, I have been really happy about everything. Almost too happy. I really enjoyed what we heard and the mission is changing so much. I was watching as the missionaries who are leaving gave thier testimonies and it is really incredible. THe mission I arrived to almost doesnt exisit now. Also, the church keeps giving us new materials that it is almost changing faster than I can keep up. The Lord wants the best so He is giving us everything we need to be the best. It is a lot of responsibility, especially because we are kind of gineapigs for all this new stuff and Pres. Humprehy keeps implying that there is going to be even more changes coming soon.

So i love the new sector but it is hard to adjust to a new style of working because what I did in my other sectors does not work here so it is almost like starting from ground zero but it is really fun. I like the sector a lot and the ward is incredible. A missionary has gotten home every week from the mission every week for the past 3 and there is going to be another RM this week. We are going to have lots of extra hands to help us out. I love you guys but I have to go. I hope things go well with your callings and I'll try to give dad some of the new study supplies we have been getting to help you out (the missionaries there probably already have them but who knows, maybe i can teach you something they don't know).

I love you,

Elder McNeil

May 23rd

Okay Mom, so I got your packages today plus one from my friend Brianne plus a lot of mail. (Today has been REALLY good so far). I have been getting Kerri's letters so dont worry about that. So, I have been really enjoying my time in my new sector. MY new comp's name is Elder Harmer and my sector is called Lirquén. I am going to be killing Elder Harmer this cambio which I would have done to Elder Higham had I stayed in Chillán. So it is totally and completely different from my other two sectors. First off; It is right on the ocean. I mean there is a big port, there are a lot of fishermen, and lots of seafood. (Imagine Montrey but 50 years ago). There is actually a super nice restaurant in Lirquén which is owned by a member and it is really good, plus we eat there for free (we go every Thursday). If you end up picking me up from the mission, I'll take you there. Second; There are hills... everywhere. It is like I am constantly hiking to get from appointment to appointment (I've taken some great pictures of the bay. We have some amazing views). Third; I am only  25 minutes or so from Concepción! Actually I am here in Conce right now. It is Chile's "Second City". It is really nice. I have been in more rural places for a long time so this is a little wierd. It isnt like I am in Gringolandia but it feels much more like a big city.
We have some work to do in the sector but we have a wonderful ward. It is by far the biggest ward I've been in since I've been on the mission. We are going to do quite a bit of finding because the people they were teaching before I got here have either lost interest or we haven't been able to find them. The port in Lirquén was also on strike this last week so some of the people we wanted to teach were probably there protesting and not in thier houses. Mom don't be concerned about the changes. They are expected and every sector is where Heavenly Father wants me to be. My success depends on how well I follow the Spirit and how diligent I am. I working really hard and learn a little more everyday. The Lord blesses His missionaries. It is true. We work hard, go through trials, see blessings, all because the Lord wants to show us how much He loves the children of God. Yes, I still expect a lot of myself but because I know the Lord expect a lot from me. I am not perfect and know that I wont be anytime soon, but I can observe the changes that I need to make in my life or in the way I work to best fulfill my calling. I love you guys and want you to know how happy I am. I love the mission. It has been wonderful so far and I can only seeing it getting better.
Love ,
Elder McNeil

May 16th

So I am getting transfered. I am leaving tomorrowfor my new sector. I am going to be in a sector called Lirquen in the zone of Penco. I have heard good things about the sector. I hear the ward is good and that the sector is pretty. The only bad things I have heard are that it is going to be rainy there and also there are some pretty intense hills. i havent gained weight since I´ve been here but there is a good chance I´ll lose some in this new sector. I´ll be missing some baptisms here in Chillán but I will just have to be happy that they are getting in the water. It really isnt a surprise that I am leaving which is making it easier on me. To be honest, if it was my choice, i would stay here a little longer.

This week was a lot of fun. We had an activity in the stake here about family history and we were in a skit for it. It was a great activity and makes me wonder, How are y´all doing on our family history work?

So, I tried to send a gift to you but the post office wouldnt let me send it because it has a peice of wood in it. So now I have a very large and heavy chunk of wood and metal that I cant send you until I finish the mission... i wasn´t very happy to find that out today. Other than that things are going really well.

I love you guys and hope that this next week goes well as you settle into the new house.

Love,

Elder McNeil

May 9th

Hey,
So i am going to keep this email fairly short because, well, we just talked yesterday. Today, we had a Mexican food party which was a lot of fun. There is NO Mexican food here in Chile and the food we eat has very little to nothing in common so we felt the need to make something authentic. There is a missionary who is from a Mexican family who basically told me and a few other missionaries what to do while some others played some games. It was really fun and we ate a ton!
So after the phone call, we had to do a ton of things to finish off the week. We didn´t end with the numbers we were hoping for BUT after having 3 or 4 amazing weeks in a row, you just have to accept what happens with a smile.
Things are going well, we just need to get our investigators animated about things but that wont be a problem. My comp Elder Higham is probably the most animated people I´ve ever met. It is actually pretty funny to see.
So I´m going to know if I am going to stay or go next week. I really don´t want to go quite yet but if I do, I just have to accept it. It really would be nice to see what happens with the people we have found recently.
Anyway, I will have a lot more to write about next week. I love you guys and hope everything is going well. Enjoy all the things that make life fun. I know yall are busy but enjoy the time you have to relax a bit.
Love ,
Elder McNeil

May 2nd

So, I am glad you like my letters. I would really like if you printed off all of my letters, made a little booklet and gave it to be after the mission. I know that that would be something I would love to have years down the road. So last time you asked about which boots fit best (the larger ones fit perfectly) and you asked about the weather (it has been colder but we have actually avoided rain which is really good for us missionaries). If you are sending another package soon, send me face stuff!!! All i want is just some sort of soap, not anything complex but face wash is very expensive here in Chile. I bottle of a normal size bottle is like $24. So it is great to hear that things are moving forward on the house. I really hope that it will be finished by the time I finish the mission (mainly i don´t want to get home, help you move, and then move all of my stuff out to BYU). 

 

So I am glad you had the chance to go to San Antonio and enjoy the Riverwalk and the temple. I would love to see that temple. It is one of the slightly larger minitemples and I hear it is awesome. Its sad to hear about your parents but, they are old and stuff like this happens after a certain age. It is sad but one day you will see them how you remember them in thier youth. You have to admit, any sort of problem we have in our lives can seem smaller when we remember that one day, we wont have to worry about it. 

 

So we had another great week here in this ward. We just keep finding people left and right and we also had a baptism yesterday. Actually we had a record breaking week in our zone, which will lead to a record breaking month. Yesterday in our zone, there was 13 baptisms. All of last month there was only 11. There is another 8 or so who should get baptized this week as well which means that our zone will have had more baptisms in the first two weeks of May than they have had in any other month in the past 5 or so years. We have found some really golden families, I´m just not sure if I am going to be here in 2 weeks or not (the probability of me getting transferred is very high). So i have no idea if i could take part in the baptisms of these people we are finding, but just in case I am, I want to keep finding these great people. 

 

So we played some basketball this week and I like playing against Chileans. I have the advantage of being tall and being a gringo. I´m actually not bad when you compare me against those around me.

It is really strange thinking that Kerri is in Israel right now... weird. Anyway, I am going to be on skype at 4pm (Chile time on Sunday) and I hope things work out that we can enjoy talking for the first time in a while.

I love yall a ton,

Love,

Elder McNeil