August 1st

So this week was really great but it would be nice if we could just skip what is left of winter and go straight to summer. The weather in Lirquèn is just so unpredictable so we are walking around in the sun with heavy waterproof jackets and rain boots and when it rains, we are wearing nothing but white shirts and V-neck sweaters. It is actually funny, I always have an umbrella in my bag and my scriptures are typically wrapped up in plastic bags and I always have earmuffs just in case it gets windy.
So I am really happy. This week was probably the most productive week I've had here in Lirquèn. We are finally seeing a lot of progress and we are seeing lots of miracles everyday. I really have learned a lot about patience and persistence here in this area and I know that there is a lot more to be learned. My comp is doing really well and I am really grateful to be training because I can see how he is developing and changing everyday. I am really excited for what lies ahead for me here in Lirquèn because I have been here for 3 months and am just now seeing how much the sector has changed since I've been here. I still haven't had any baptisms here but the Lord has blessed me in other ways (and the baptisms are coming).
I hope you have been able to see changes in who I am through my emails because I feel like I have changed a lot since I've been a missionary. I haven't started eating cats, but I did eat that entire package that you less than a week.
Well, I love you tons. I hope that life is treating you well and I am always praying for you.
Love ,
Elder McNeil

July 25th

Well, I didnt expect this last week to be relaxing for you two but it seems like it ended up being one very big, stressful mess for you. I'm sorry. I know that you probably are hoping for some time to relax and enjoy the summer but I've come to notice that, the older you get, the more stressful things seem to be. I've seen that here a lot in the mission. THe older members and investigators have a lot more on thier minds than us young folk. I know that probably doesnt help much but that is just an observation I've made over time. 

So, I am going to attach some pictures that I know you have been anxiously waiting for. Hopefully it will make up for all the time that has past since I last sent anything. 

So things are going well here. We are really seeing improvements everyday in ourselves and in the sector. I am really grateful for the chance to train because it is really helping me be a better missionary. I know I am not perfect but I am always trying to improve so, I feel like that is good.

We did a service project for a sister in our ward and one of her friends (a recent convert) came, grab a saw and hammer and went to work with us. I was really impressed. I was actually shocked that Bernarda would do that with us. It was really fun to work with her. 

We have a conference tomorrow which should be great. I can always feel when I am in need of  conference and I am excited to hear what President Humphrey has to say tomorrow. 

SOrry for not writing more but I am feeling a little fever-ish and am going to lay down for a little bit. I want you to know that I love you guys and that I am always praying that things work out well for you in all that you do.

Love,

Elder McNeil

July 18th

So that marble platter is pretty impressive but it would be nice to see it for real. I am sure that it is going to be a great addition  to what is going to be an incredible house. I am really happy to know that you are enjoying all the movies that are coming out. The members here always like to talk to me about movies because they know that I was a movie fanatic before the mission so they like sharing their opinions with me about such-and-such movie. A lot of members here have been talking about the new transformers, Harry Potter, and the new XMen movie. I want to one of them to see Cars 2 and fill me in on how it is. If there is one movie I want on the top of my movie list, it is Cars 2.
Wow, so it is nice to hear that you got such a flattering letter from President Humphrey. I am just trying to do what I was called to do but if people see that I have talents and abilities that I don't know about, I will happily keep trying to use them as best as I can. I feel that I really am uncovering and unlocking a lot of abilities I never really knew I had but I am far from a perfect missionary but I am doing my best.
So this week was really interesting. Chile was playing the La Copa America and was doing really well which was really exciting because the chileans were getting really into the games. When Chile scored, you could hear EVERYONE yelling while we were walking in the streets. Unfortunately it made it a lot harder to work on game days. Last night Chile lost to Venezuela which was disappointing but it is at least going to make it easier to work.
It has also been a lot colder recently which means that people are staying inside more and it has been a lot easier to do contacts BUT our house is really cold at night. We have an electric heater that we turn on every morning as we wake up and at night was we get home to warm up our bedroom. Sadly, the rain and cold keep even the most active of members from coming to church so this Sunday, our ward which normal has an attendance of 120+ only had 90. That was sad but winter only lasts so long and hopefully things will warm up here soon.
Random story. So there is a member of our ward who served his mission in the states and speaks English pretty well. He is a really great guy and he was hired to help a hotel make some official announcements about the hotel's reopening in English and Spanish. Well, they needed a recording in English to put on their website and on their phone lines to announce the reopening. Well, the member asked me to read something in English, heard my voice and said "I NEED YOUR VOICE!"  (Chileans find my voice fascinating for some reason. They ask me to speak in English so they can listen to the tone of my voice. Apparently that is just another one of those random talents that you stumble upon while on your mission.) He asked me help write and then record the announcement. He was really excited to have me help him out and we had a little bit of a bonding moment. As missionaries, we look for service opportunities on every street corner, but who would have thought that all I would have to do was talk.
So, it is sad hearing that your parents are slowing down but they're still kicking so I'm not going to complain. Good luck with your meetings Dad. I know that you are going to be stressed and probably even a little upset this week but it wont last forever.
Love,
Elder McNeil

July 11th

So, i know you have asked for pictures a few times but I have been a hard time getting pictures upload onto these computers to send you. Don't worry there isnt anything wrong, it is just that the internet cafe I usually go to has rewritten some software and my memory card adapter doesn't work with the software. I have been taking a lot of pictures and things are going really well.
So, we are doing well. In the last week, we have been able to pretty much doble the amount of lesson we are teaching which is great because this is a tougher sector to teach in. We are seeing some progress from a number of investigators but it will be hard to have any baptisms in the next few weeks which is tough. This is the longest I've gone in the mission without "getting wet" and our investigator, who would have been baptized last week, wasn't able to get permission, but there is still hope for him and a number of others.
My kid is doing well. He is really smart and really is trying to absorb the Chilean culture which has been a lot of fun to see. We are working really hard to try to get as much out of this sector as we possibly can. I have been working a lot with faith and unleashing its power. I am learning that an attitude of faith is probably the most important tool for overcoming any situation (I would recommend reading Hebrews 11 and the talk Hope by Elder Snow from this most recent conference).
So i really don't have a lot of news for y'all. Things are going really well here and I am really excited to see this sector produce some visible fruits. We are really excited to keep working hard and having fun. So, it is good to hear that you were able to find someone better to work on the house. Maybe you can still finish the house before I get out there (if not, at least soon after).  Heck, if it comes down to it., I'm thinking of sending a package home soon and if it comes down to it, I'll just send you my memory card. (That isn't a done deal but if I do, I will). So things are doing well and I hope you have a lot of fun. I love you a ton.
Love,
Elder McNeil

July 4th

Okay, so i know that you are probably completely exhausted still from your trip but it is great to know that y'all are doing well and that things should be moving forward here soon on the house. I never realized just how complicated a process it is to build a house. A lot of people here in Concepción keep making comments about the temple and how the church needs to start on it soon, but if it was this hard to build a house, I can't even imagine how hard it must be for the church to build one of its majestic temples especially when there are prejudices against them.
So you liked Transformers 3. I really was not a fan of the second but its nice to hear this one wasnt bad. mish, I'm excited to see it one day.
So you are probably anxious to learn about my trainie. Well, his name is Elder Ojeda and he is from Mexico. He is really cool. He is 25 and has already graduated from college which makes me feel a little weird being his trainer.
The jump from Junior comp to training caught me by surprise but it taught me to live by the principle "expect the unexpected". To be completely honest, at first I was kind of confused and didn't really know what to do but I am getting a hang of things and things are going well. One of my big goals is to increase my efficiency as a missionary. We really need to teach short powerful lessons that really help people because if we don't we will be helping few people and see very little progress. It was really eye-opening for me to see the difference between bad planning and good planning and now I am committed to planning as well as I can from here on out.
So, I complete a year in the mission this Thursday.... the time is going by too fast. I wish I could have come into the mission knowing the things I know now because I now only have half the time to really apply the things it has taken me a year to learn. There is no such thing as a perfect missionary let alone a perfect greenie but if I knew what I know now before, I would have done things quite differently. 
Well, we might have a baptism this week unless the investigator's grandpa changes his mind. Please pray that his heart might be soft and that he will let his grandson get baptized.
Oh random story. SO yesterday we had a stake conference with Elder Zaballos of the seventy and his wife and they wanted to take a special picture with me because Hermana Zaballos sent me a package for my birthday a few months ago.  A friend of mine met thier daughter in Utah while she (thier daughter) was doing a study abroad there. My friend Brianne asked them to bring a package to Chile for me when they came home after General Conference. When they got home they send the package from Santiago to Conce. When I saw a random package from Santiago, I obviously freaked out and then when I found out how it got to me, it was even more incredible. They thought it was a fun experience and wanted to take a picture so they could remember it. I'll try to get a copy of the picture because it really was a fun experience.
Anyway, I love you guys and hope everything goes well. Mom, get better, you can't go around getting sick on me.
Love ,
Elder McNeil

June 26th

So it seems like everyone in our family is having just crazy cool experiences. It was fun killing Elder Harmer but it was sad. He was a really enjoyable companion and it was really sad to say goodbye to him. Actually 3 of my last 5 companions are going home today. I feel old in the mission! Time is going by way to fast.
Unfortunately, I spent a decent amount of last week a little sick but we got everything done that we needed to and it was a lot of fun. Cristofer is doing really well and we are finding more good people as well. The ash from the volcano erupting in southern Chile has actually caused some problems in our sector. It isn't like what happened when mike was in the mission but we are getting a little bit of the ash cloud here in the bay. 
So about my new companion... well, I would tell you about him but I don't know him, because I'M TRAINING. I will meet my new companion tomorrow and I'll let you know all about him next week. I wasn't expecting this at all but its happening! I am just about to complete a year, just killed my last comp, and I'm having a son! Time moves so incredibly fast in the mission and I am just grateful that the Lord has enough confidence in me to let me do this work. Mom asked why I am enjoying the mission so much. I can't explain it. It is just good. Being a part of something so good for everyone. What could be better than sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world?
So I have to go but I love you all a ton and hope everything is going super well for you.
Love r,
Elder McNeil

June 20th

. Killing a companion is tough because there are a lot of feelings to be hurt and a lot of people who can take what I do and say in the wrong way. It is also makes it a lot harder to not think about what I will do when I finish the mission. I just don't even let my mind wander into thoughts like that. I just am focusing on taking our one progressing investigator and helping him receive the gospel and putting my heart and soul into finding other people like him. One thing I've seen in the mission is that there are alot people who are really prepared and, as missionaries, we need to be willing to make the sacrifices required to find them. Cristofer was a teenager we found on Wednesday and I immediately knew that he was the investigator I've been looking for. It was a wonderful moment and I am so grateful for the blessings that Heavenly Father decides I deserve/need. Yeah, I am really happy about the way things are going.
So, people here think we have a really cool family because they found out that Kerri is in Jerusalem and that you were in India last week. It's nice to know that you didnt have some of the same adventures that we had last year and that you are having new adventures of your own to tell. What are y'all going to do for Kerri? She needs to have some crazy experience too (not that Jerusalem isn't adventurous enough). Here in Chile, it is rare to see air conditioning so I'm used to that already although right now it is winter which means RAIN!!!! We have also had a number of beautiful days which has been great. Hopefully you will have good weather when you go to El Nido or you will really miss out on that wonderful experience.
So Dad bought some of those carpets? And a marble Oakland temple? and a marble chess table? That doesn't sound like him. I guess he just couldn't help himself. Happy late fathers day BTW. I gave a talk yesterday in sacrament meeting and started off talking about how awesome you are. It was a good talk.
You need to start planning what the next big family vacation will be in a few years. (My vote is for a tour of south America and I assume mike and kerri will agree).
So with my facebook, people can't add me as thier friend and I have a lot of angry chileans looking for me on facebook right now. What can I say? People want to be my friend, who would've guessed, right? ;)
I am really happy right now. I love you tons and will keep you updated on everything.
Love ,
Elder McNeil