Happy New Year

Wow so lots this week. Its weird that the new year was this week. Feels like a long time ago. But lots of stuff happened so here we go.

So Wednesday i did and intercambio in Pitrufquen with an Elder named Elder Tilbes. Super funny he is from Columbia and is blacker than the night. So we had a good old time eating fruit from trees and contacting. We had no appointments so we knocked doors all day. But he is a nice guy actually wants to be a translator when he gets back so he speaks good english. Granted we still spoke in spanish all day but we had fun talking. The next morning for language study him and another elder taught me the first lesson in english. Elder Tilbes can do it. He actually has the first vision(as in Js-H 17-19) memorized in english. Super impressive. Most people don’t actually have that memorized in their own language. But the other elder doesnt not speak english so that was incredibly hilarious. But it was good for them.

So New years eve we actually did service in the morning stacking wood for a member. Then we contacted and actually found someone! It was super nice because basically everyone leaves or is with the family so usually not receptive. But with obedience comes blessings so we worked and we received the blessings. So that was awesome. Then in the night we went to Miguel Angel´s house and we had a super good dinner of...meat and rice. Seriously oh my goodness english. Anyway so then we had to be in the house by 11 so we went to the house and we.......stayed awake till 12. Just sat around and at 12 we lit off these soundmakers and went to bed. We are soooooooooo exciting and definitely party hard. Yes we know. They started to light off fireworks and i saw like 3 of them then i fell asleep. I like to live on the edge ya know. Then new years day we went to the chapel and played basketball for a couple hours, then the other guys had a schedule lunch (lucky guys) so we went to the house and i made fried chicken! It was good not as good as dads but we are also severly limited in ingredients here. Seasoning salt, onion powder and pepper powder. But i cut up cilantro real fine and onion i did the same and it worked. Didnt taste great but the chicken ended super tender and perfectly fried. So im ok. I was happy.

And now the grand finale.....We baptized! Javier and Catalina got baptized saturday. What a ride ill tell yall what. I have never seen a baptism that went smoothly so this one didnt change. Our font doesn't have a drain block so we use a small handtowel inside of plastic bags. Pretty official right? But so we started to fill it and Branch President had told us like 5 hours to fill. So we leave for lunch, get back like 2 and a half hours after and the font was full and almost overflowing. So we stop the water but it was way to high to use. But to lower the water we had to pull the bag out....So we go home i get my shorts and a towel and wade into the font to lower it. It gets to where we want it and i start to put the old towel back in and…..it sucks it right in and the bag rips and the towel goes down the drain. WHAT THE HECK. So i put my foot over the whole and tell me comp to go get more bags and stuff. So he comes back with them and i pray and....it works. So i get out just in time to see President come in the the chapel. Luckily the branch president here was a missionary and didn’t even blink twice when i am standing there soaking wet in nothing but my basketball shorts. I just told him why and he was like "Elder, we need to buy something to block the drain on monday." Thats all he said. I am completely in agreement with him. Haha so today we should be doing that. So then comes 6 and we have the service and Javier and Catalina get baptized. It was awesome they are both super cool amazingly prepared people who are going to do great in the church. They have 2 little kids and they were asking me and what age the kids can go on missions. Super excited for them. Another cool little bit of that is 2 weeks ago a guy named Miguel Angel (who we had dinner with) got baptized so he recieved the Aaronic Priesthood and was able to baptize Javier and Catalina. So basically just about the dopest experience ever. Good times down here in Loncoche.

Today we went to Pitrufquen to play soccer and a little bit of Rugby it was super fun. I really like Rugby now having played it a couple times. Does Big Bend have a team? If not it will when i get back. 

But that was kind of the week.

I love yall have a great week

Elder Galbreath

Navidad, navidad siempre digo aaaa

Well it was great to see yall Christmas. Yall are funny, it's always nice to share the same bad humor with people and not have to explain your inside jokes to people. But incredibly difficult to communicate in english not gunna lie. Super hard. But worth it.

Ok so as a zone we did a white elephant gift exchange. So i brought a toy gun and bow sticky dart thing. I won toilet paper and a toothbrush. So pretty much won the contest. WINNER

So to explain what we did Christmas,

So after we hung up I waited for everyone else to finish their calls then we went home cause we had to be at home by 6. So we were able to just sit around the house and relax. Incredibly needed. Played rugby in the street, made low class hamburgers and watched movies (from the church obviously) until bedtime. Super relaxing. If it weren't for the spanish it felt like I was back in the house. Super weird.

So the next day we went to Gorbea which is the sector of the Sisters in our zone (we are the smallest zone in my mission so we have 4 sister missionaries. One sector.) Did an attack of the district of Nueva Tolten. It was super good i worked with a Columbian who is blacker than the night. It is super funny cause he speaks little

english and here in Chile there is like no such thing as racism doesn't exist. So he asked me in heavily accented english "Am i your favorite nigger?" It was the funniest thing ever i died laughing. But i taught him the word redneck so now he tells me that i am his favorite redneck. Score one for Elder Galbreath.

Then we came back to the sector to work and finished the day normal.

Sunday i had a talk. Talked about new years and how we need to be ready for what is coming this year. Went over like a watermelon in a

waterfall. (Which if you havent seen, its quite awesome) Then sunday was spent just working and doing all the fun stuff that is the mission. In other words awesome, but lots of heat now. Really unexpected. But it was good.

Oh my gosh Zoe is getting baptized the 9th. When did that happen.

New years eve we will have to go in early but New Years we are working normal actually. That is gunna suck because New years no one even recognizes outside. It’s gunna be good though.

Love yall thanks for everything have a GREAT new year.

Elder Galbreath

Christmas!

Hey so the most important notice is I am going to try and skype at about 3. So if yall can try and be on about that time. We are having trouble finding computers but we are gunna get it figured out don't worry. Still get 40 minutes. Super lame. But we will do it. And enjoy it. This year is going to be very different than last year because the ward isn’t fighting over our time so we will see. Looks like we have dinner christmas eve though. That will be dope hopefully. So this week we had our activity of the branch for christmas. This was super fun. I was totally the dj/director so that was fun. Had like 4 investigators that went so that was amazing. 

J and C are like the most prepared people i have met in my mission its amazing.

Gifts from God.

Elder England is a good guy and we are getting along well. Hey is from Utah and is funny. Reminds me of a cat. Don’t know why but super not innocent but like off sense of humor. Its fun stuff. But I also have Elder Yson from New York in my house and between the two of us we represent the most American missionaries in the mission. Both rock the flag socks and the camo hats. With the flag in the background. Super dope. His dad has a gun store in New York and is also a sniper anti-terrorist. So we get along well.

So this week we also had a wedding! 

It was super dope this guy got married to be baptized and is super converted. Awesome.

So the rest I’ll be talking to yall friday. 

Love yall

Elder Galbreath

I am confused..

Well that subject line just about sums up the week. Good week this week just lots of confusion and stuff moving. But that is kind of the life here in the mission or no? But here goes the tale of Elder Galbreaths week. So tuesday was like a half day because we had district meeting in Pitrifquen so when we got back we had to go and see at what time a bus leaves for temuco because we had to leave that night. So we got back to Loncoche at 2 to find the only bus that leaves is.....at 3. So we are kind of freaking but luckily we find another bus company that leaves at 730 so that is what we wanted. So we went to lunch to find...half the branch in the house! It was a branch activity i didn't know about so we had asado! Super good called a disco where they put the put in this big bowl that they put over the coals so the juices all stay and makes the meat taste amazing. Usually its like 2 or 3 types of meats at a time so it is delicious. So that was super awesome and random. But after that we passed by Polet to get her ready for her baptism Saturday (!!!!!!) and we start talking to her about it and she tells us how she isn’t sure about it now because she doesn’t like the sacrament or prophets. Also she basically denied the testimony she received about the Book of Mormon. So we are going to see what happens with her but it wasn’t her baptism. Kind of left me frustrated. So we went back packed our bags to go to temuco to go to the activity of the mission!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOOO (puts lights and fireworks here.)

So we went to a place in temuco that you say cat-ree-wall-a. So saw a friend there slept on the floor and got up way to early in the morning to get to the church at 7 so we could get to the activity in Angol at10. So that was exciting but definitely worth it it was so fun to see everyone from the mission. Got to see my dad (Elder Sanders) right before he ended his mission. That was weird. Also got the generational pic because Elder Duffin was there as well. 

Saw everyone from the district in the CCM and just the whole mission. Really cool. Had some great talks by the Bluths i really liked Hermana Bluth´s talk she started off with the story of the 3 small trees (if you haven’t heard it go and read it its awesome.) Then she shared how God has a plan for each of us and how we need to be humble enough to accept it, reverent enough to hear it, and teachable to be able to learn from it. I really loved it especially cause it humbled me because what happened with Polet really got me fired up. But God has his plan for each of us and we need to accept it. Super good talk. Then we passed the time to the sketches and to some ours up... We had a life size passalong card that sang a cathchy song and i was a drunk who ended up getting baptized with the family.  So basically a day in the life. Super great stuff.

But I got yalls package and the a pack of the girl scout cookies did not make it the bus ride. I shared with my zone thats why. But they

are delicious. I never know if i want to just have one incredibly happy blissful day and just go ham or if i should enjoy them little by little. I am going little by little. For now. So Saturday it started like misting strongly and Sunday it turned into a straight up downpour i was like what the heck its supposed to be December and hot. This is not ok. But so that was interesting, luckily it wasn’t raining enough to stop these super awesome couple we found from going to church though!!! We found them saturday and they commited to go to church and they did!! we stopped by and went with them it was super awesome. So i am super excited for them.

Also my towel was drying outside when it started raining so it was absolutely soaked when i went to shower. So i am glad for the 2 hand towels mom sent with me. Saved my life. Also its a good thing my waterheater has batteries because our lights went out sunday morning.

Did i mention it was an interesting day? So i got absolutely soaked and really hoping my shoes are dry when we get back to the house. But to end all this its cambio time and Cederstrom is getting out and Elder England is coming here. Another new guy who got here with my son. So that will be fun. Heard he doesn’t speak much spanish so that will be interesting. So here goes nothing!

Mom this pday we played soccer on this big turf field in Pitrufquen. I am really bad but my slide tackles are on point. Only thing i got going for me. We cook every now and then if we want something for dinner but Elder Quezada is super good at cooking so he usually does it. But he gets back at us because latins don't actually clean. Seriously house is a mess until Elder Galbreath gets frustrated monday and cleans everything. usually elder Cederstrom doesn’t like to clean up after others so he does his stuff.

Star wars......no comment.

Love yall tons keep on going.

Elder Galbreath

Loncoche

So if my mission had the boonies, well that would be Cunco but if it had another one it would Loncoche. Its so dope I love it. Really pretty down here as well as there are lots of hills and stuff around here. Hiked up one this morning actually. Super dope. So my comp is Elder Cederstrom, he is from AZ. Nice guy kind of reminds me of how I started the mission. Not quiet but not bursting with energy and happiness. Reminds me of how much I have changed. not saying he isn’t a cool guy honestly we get along well. He actually is a gun guy as well so that’s pretty dope. So had some fun times with that. But he got here with Elder Duffin so thats cool. Working with the new guys is fun cause it makes me realize how unprepared I was when I got

here. Seriously they (Duffin and Cederstrom) are both already better missionaries than I am so I'm excited to see where they go when they get a little time under their belt. Elder Parkin from my district is in my Zone and Elder Dayton is my ZL. Dayton got here with us as well. super weird to see them being important and speaking spanish and stuff. Honestly this cambio made me feel old. I’m not the oldest in my house but tuesday the other guys had exchanges so I was. They all have less than 5 months. That didn’t affect me until one of them mentioned that all of their time added up is less than my time. Dang wippersnappers. Seriously though not cool. I hate being old. But Loncoche is super cool bigger than Cunco but still small. Hard contacting here so we are working with old investigators and trying

to break this bubble here in Loncoche. I dunno how to explain it its just like this weird mist feeling here. So trying my best to get to know the sector so i can really start working it here. But this too shall pass and soon Loncoche will be the new.....I dunno what it will be but it will be good! Haha.

So this week we found this ex missionary who served in Chicago actually and he speaks perfect english and german. Don’t know how good it was but he really went on in weird sounds so I trust him. But he is very inactive not that he lives a bad life he just is atheist. Don't know which is worst. But he is really smart and knows a lot about the gospel so we actually talked a lot about stuff and well he did come to church sunday but after to talk to president as he is in the process of trying to get his name taken off. So we will see how that goes as he is super nice and we are actually teaching his sister in law.

Woohoo!!!.......

Other than that taught a couple people here and had some good times.

Pday we hiked up this hill that overlooks all of Loncoche and had lunch on this big pile of sticks and stuff. It was dope. Great view.

Umm i love yall!

Mom

The new house is dope pretty nice counter downstairs makes us feel classy and stuff. We live with 2 other elders a new guy from Brazil and another guy from Peru. Both good guys we laugh a lot and mess around a lot. 

No lost items in transit!

Pancakes....I miss those suckers. Buttermilk does not exist here. I cry a lot.

Hasta ver.

I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to be here and share the gospel with people who would never know. Thankful for my family and how great of an example everyone is. I grow in appreciation for my

Savior everyday for everything that he has done for me and all that my Heavenly Father puts up with me. Some day he will give me the biggest sigh as he hugs me when i return. But i am so grateful for everything in my life that has lead me to the greatest thing i have, a testimony of the gospel.

Have a great week of thanksgiving give everyone a hug for me.

Elder Galbreath

And that's when I realized I was Batman

Can’t hold me here anymore. And it’s official I am leaving Cunco. Going to another pueblito south of Temuco called Loncoche. It is the sector furthest south of the mission. So that is gunna be interesting. I am sad however to be leaving Cunco I really love the people here and have had so many great experiences here it will be hard to leave. But I am excited to go and see more things and have more experiences. My next comp will be Elder Cederstrom from AZ who got here with my son actually so he is pretty new. So that will be fun but also sad cause I have to leave Elder Duffin. Gunna miss this goober. But anywho so this week was actually super dope because they had a festival in Melipeuco called the Festival of the Baqueanos. A baqueano is like the mountain man type thing the people who live in the mountains here. Super dope festival the outfit of the baqueano is awesome. Totally would SASS that. Hair on wooly chaps, actually lots wear like berets basically and plaid. But it looks super dope. 

And the real cool thing is the knives they have. SUPER nice like big knives but the set is a fork and the knife all set in the leather sheath looks super dope. Almost bought one but didn’t have the money on me. But if I find one. But the festival was awesome because there was a ton of stuff like in booths and SO MUCH FOOD. Like probably every other booth was selling shishkabobs of meat and breads and so much meat. And a ton of places had like hardcore asados going on. Super dope. 

And these members had a fruit juice booth going on so we had a ton of free fruit juice. Super dope. And we contacted so many people in that place. Just everywhere you go just people and people. Awesome Also tragedy this week. (always comes after the good stuff) The aunt of our branch presidents wife died and they had been taking care of her for a long time so that was really hard. So we had her funeral and stuff this week. I also became a pallbearer. A privilege I had hoped would not come for a while but it happened. Here in Cunco the missionaries kind of do everything so we had to organize a bunch of stuff and go open everything and clean the chapel saturday morning. But it was an experience. So sunday we went to the cemetery and buried her and it was weird so the aunt that died wasn’t a member so supposedly her family had asked that Adventists and Catholics did stuff as well so we got to listen to the catholics sing and read

scriptures and the adventists as well. I will give this to the adventists though wow that lady could sing like a boss. Very impressive. But that was kind of our week really lots of walking and touching doors. 

Dad very impressive turnout for the match. And that’s funny to hear about Chandler, sorry that he has to deal with that though. I do enjoy hearing about everyone back home though so thanks.

Mom. Calm down I am looking for a nativity set. Doing my best but so far the only one I can find is a very catholic one where Mary was the center and I think there was a baby jesus in the background. So working on it.

Garrett. Oh wait awkward. Just kidding still love you be good.

Elder Galbreath

Temptation at it's finest.

Preaching to the Lamanites

Walked and walked and walked

Ok so good news monkeys are all much calmer now so we do have time I apologize for any complications that may have arisen because of the primate riots. So the last two weeks were good. So last saturday we had a zone attack or when all the missionaries go to a sector and work for a little bit. They all came to Cunco. Literally they contacted all of it. Super dope. But it was really good they did find a lot of people and so we are slowly finding out which ones are actually good and which ones really didn’t want anything and there are actually quite a bit of people who don’t exist. So working on that one. But it was super cool. Then that night we went to Meli to work. Had lots of people to visit including one guy who lives like 15-20 minutes walking outside of Meli. So we go and he is a super dope guy lots of questions but is super skeptical about all religion. He doesn’t really believe in the bible and is always asking like super deep hard question, but we always answer as simply as we can to help him and testify a lot. but so we did that then went back to an old lady we are teaching. Basically the opposite. Lots of repetition and everything about as clearly and simply as one can make it. But she is super nice. So we were trying to explain prayer to her and try and let her realize that it isn’t something written down. So trying lots of that. But we missed the bus from Meli to Cunco at 8. So acting under the assumption that there is a bus at 10 we start walking try hitchhiking and thinking if it don’t work whatever because the bus. There isn’t a bus at 10. So after like 3 and a half hours of walking our branch president calls cause he figures out what we did and starts chewing us out royally, and calls almost everyone of our ward to try and find someone with a car to come get us. so we walk...and walk....and walk....and about 1 someone gets us and we get to the house. So that was a fun day. And then in church the next day president chews us out hardcore in front of everyone twice and the hermanas in the ward. Well i was lucky to leave with my life. My comp of course doesn’t say a word and everyone just chews me

out then someone looks at him and asks why didn’t he say something and he says in exaggerated bad spanish well he is older than me i dunno. So they all return to me and treat him like he was innocent. Darn new kids. I still love him but dang it. But then wednesday we had interviews and that was cool. Got my temple recommend again. So I'm good now. And hermana bluth was teaching people to direct music and she asked if i knew how and i kind of chuckled and said yes i did so she had me show her a little. I explained moms story of callings in the church and she understood. Props to mom.

So other than that the week was long. Nothing real exciting until sunday when we had Maria (the old lady from Meli) come to church. So that was super dope that she could come and we were able to help her feel more at home and at ease with the church. It was great.

Last week heard a dope quote from Elder Hallstrom that goes what we are now doesn’t define what we can become. Really liked that. Made me think of the quote "The Lord doesn’t care who we were. Only where we are and, with his help, who we can become." The point of all the gospel is to change for the better (ex:Mos 3:19) so if you are the same person you were 3 years ago you need to change what you are putting into the church. So everyday be looking to change. Not necessarily become a cookie cutter mormon or a normal Christian but always be looking to change to be a better person, husband,wife,son, etc.. My thoughts that i share in the name of Jesus Christ.

Mom, sometimes in life the grass is just a little bit to high to see the hanging down things. Its times like that we have to move on and trust the spirit.

Questions

So dia de los muertos they don’t have and halloween yes but its not as big. Kids go around but more than anything its little kids and the teenagers go around throwing eggs at houses. Like its very common actually. Like everyone does it. I just don’t know sometimes. They do however have dia de los Santos. Its the day they all go to the cemetery and wash the graves of the family and stuff. Really big, like everyone goes to the cemetery. But that also means that there are a ton of people selling stuff so it almost turns to a quickly take care of the fam and lets go shopping. Sorry thats the only question i remember.

Love yall

Elder Galbreath