December 27, 2017 - Soccer and Santa

Hey hey everyone I hope you all had a great Christmas! I was so happy to be able to see and talk with my family and see how they were all doing, I love those guys so much! Ok so excuse the bad grammar in this email it will probably be bda, it is like 100 degrees out side and my fingers are wet with sweat woo hoooo!

Ok so lets start with the people. Last week my companion and I had a ton of succcess in getting out and finding some new people to teach. One of our new people is a family with the dad is a lessa active member and the mom is not a member of the church. They are pretty deep down into drogas, but they want to change and get out so we are going by to help them out and to see that the light of Christ reaches down even to the deepest of the hole they are into. However the crazy thing is, I actually taught these people before. In one of my old wards, Condell, I taught the dad of this family, his name is Freddy! I taught him for a couple of weeks right when I got to my old ward, but then he moved and left the house where he was living with his mom and we never heard anymore from him. But then last Wednesday we went to go to an appointment with a man my companion had met beofre and he told me "Oh yeah his name is Freddy and he lived in another area a few months ago and we just met him last week". We walked in the door and it was the same guy I taught before! He came up and gave me a hug and we talked a little bit about life and caught up, and the whole time my companion was thinking that we were best friends, Freddy and I. That was a cool moment lat week! We also found lsat week a kid named Nico. He used to listen to the missionaries antes, but he decided it was not right for him so he stopped listening about 4 months ago. We stopped by last week, he invited us in and he told us he was ready to make changes in his life! This week has been a week of miracles for sure!

As well here in our mission we can play soccer with the people on the street as a way to contact them and then to began to teach them, and we have been doing a lot of it. On Friday we had a ton of kids at the chapel and we played a game with them out back. Yesterday we did the same thing, and all of the members have bveen bringing their friends, so we have been able to teach them all the Gospel, play soccer, and get a return appointment, it is so sweet. Love soccer. 

Well I am going to say the same thing that you have probably already heard from the other 15 missionaries whose emails you get everyweek. I know that Jesus lives, and I know he has His Gospel. Thanks to him we have what we have, and he gives us the greatest blessing of all, the opporotunity to lifve with Him and our families forever. He is the Reason and the Word.

Love,

Elder Tilghman

Lucas 2

December 20, 2017 - I´m dreaming of a Crazy Christmas

Hello everyone this past week was great! My companion Elder Lindow and I had changes ... sort of. I was called to a different area, but we live with those Elders, so all I did was move rooms and change all of my stuff around, but I am living in the same house! It was a little crazy but really funny recieving that change call! My new companion is Elder Bellido, he is from Argentina. I have known him for a long time here in the mission, we have lived together, worked together and he used to be my District Leader down in San Bernardo, so it really is not like I have a new companion because I already know him pretty well! This past week was a little different, but really fun, I enjoyed it a ton.

So the people. I was sad to leave my last sector, Los Limoneros, we saw a ton of miracles and success there and I know that they are in good hands and will continue to progress. I am now in a new area called Los Robles, and the area is massive, it is the biggest sector I think I have had in my mission, but we do not have bikes so it is all walking. We have a few baptisms lineed up and we have been focusing on talking with new people and getting the message of the restored gospel out there for everyone else to hear, so it has been some great work! I do not really know anyone so far because I just got here, but I will keep you all updated on the situation. But of course, we already have some Haitians that we are teaching wooohoooo!

So this email is going to full of a bunch of funny stuff because that is all that I have to talk about.

Ok on Sunday we were walking back home from church from a rough week. Something happened last week and some flite said something to us that was pretty rough and word got out to the ward members. One of the members who is getting reactivated came up to us after church to talk to us. When he was younger (and he still is) he was a big time gangster and he heard about our situation that we had. He came up to us and said and I quote "Elderes, who did that to you? You tell me right now and I will go get my boys and that person will no longer continue to exist. I will take a Book of Mormon and put it through his head." It was hilarious!!!!!!!! Like I always say, the flites are our best friends so they always have our back. But no we did not tell him who it was, we do not want anyone to get hurt.

Ok so yesterday Elder Bellido and I were walking in the street and we walked down a nice little alley way with lights strung across the street to decorate for Christmas. But then I realized that they were not lights, they were all beer cans. The people used their empty beer cans as decorations for Christmas hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahah.

so that was my week, overall pretty good. Have a great Christmas everyone!

Love,

Elder Tilghman

Alma 26

December 13, 2017 - Dog Fight

Hey everyone this last week was a great week, the days keep flying by so fast, it is insane! Our sector is really progressing and we are seeing a ton of progress it is awesome! This past week at church was the primary program and all of the kids and the leaders sang and gave talks, it was so awesome to hear from them and to hear the powerful testimony that even little gives can give about the Gospel. 

So last week we saw another miracle. On Saturday we were doing some door to door contacting in our sector when we talked with a nice lady in her door way. She politely told us that she was not interested in speaking with us, but then told us that her neighbor would love to learn and talk about Jesus Christ. We crossed the street and knocked on the door. We entered and taught Jose and Rosa Medina, a dad and his daughter about the Gospel. He has reciently gone through problems at work, is a single dad and is looking for peace and relief in his life, so we shared with him about the Plan of Salvation and the glorious Plan that God has for us and the blessings that come from our obedience to the gospel. As we talked and testified we felt the Spirit, and they felt it too, and because of that they want to get baptized! It is amazing what the Spirit can do and the way he can work in our lives.

On Saturday as well we had another good lesson, Saturday was a great day. We went and passed by a future investigator named Rene, we had contacted him the week before and we went by to go and speak with him on Saturday. We talked and shared about the Restoration of the Gospel and then he said he would read and pray as well to know if these things are true, boom another miracle. And on top of that, his dogs like us and do not try and bite our pant legs off, boom another miracle!

Ok storytime! So today for PDay we went hiking on a hill in our mission with some other missionaries. As we were walking up two dogs started to join us. But, they hated each other, the whole way up they were fighting and biting each other and when we got to the top they let it all out. It was Fight Night, and we stayed back because we did not want to get our skin ripped off. Once again another dog story!

Overall the work is awesome, we are really starting to find success. Everyday I feel myself learning and growing and understanding more about God and His Gospel, and I can feel that change taking place in me.

Love,

Elder Tilghman

3 Nefi 21.22

December 6, 2017 - One Mans Trash is Another Mans Treasure

Well this week we got another opporotunity to go and clean a hoarders house! This one was massive, it was one of the highlights of the week, and we found some weird stuff down there in the trash, it is crazy the stuff that lives down there! This week as well we had some more miracles down in Santiago, the people are amazing and loving and I am so grateful to be serving with them!

Ok so the people. Fernando is progressing great, he could not go to church on Sunday becuase he went out of town with his parents, but he is ready to come again this week. He has been inviting his friends and family members to listen to us because he loves the gospel and the chance that he has to share it, and I am grateful for the chance to teach Fernando! During our time working with Fernando, it has been amazing to see the power of the Holy Ghost working and teaching while we present the message, I have had the priveledge to see the change in Fernando and the way in which he is coming to trust more and more in his Savior. On Monday we had a huge miracle. We contacted a man named Luis in his house a few weeks back and we felt on Monday that we should go and visit him again. We decided to go straight to his house and to teach him the message of the Restoration. We arrived at his house, and a few weeks ago when we met him he was impatient and did not want to listen to us, but on Monday that all changed. He answered the door happy to talk to us and even invited us inside to teach him more about the pamphlet that we had left him to read, and he read it! He had great questions for us and was very receptive and accepted a baptismal date for the first week of January! Once again, if we listen to the Spirit, He can guide us to the prepared people to hear the gospel. I am humbled for the chance to be an instrument in the hands of God, that he would choose someone like me to be His missionary humbles me to the core. That He would trust me with the salvation of His children is the greatest and most wonderful challenge I have had.

So on Monday as well in the morning with other missionaries we went to clean a hoarders house. This one was full, but full of trash to the brim. So we started to pull out stuff and in the stuff I found a jewel. I found a lightsaber! I got someone to take a picture of me in my biohazard suit so I will be sure to send that to you guys. 

Overall things are on fire in our sector, they are going great! It has been awesome to see the difference in the ward from when we got here to today. From an unanimated and sad ward and investigators to a vibrant, funny community is the best, people are finally starting to warm up enough to laugh at my lame jokes!

Love,

Elder Tilghman

Moroni 10:14

Alma 13:24

November 29, 2017 - I am Legend Chilean Style

Hello everyone how are you guys doing? This week was fantastic, all of the dogs just turned into zombies and attack machines, they must have been doing the drugs that the people normally do, the dogs were out of control this week. Sorry, do not want to sound like I am complaining, so lets jump right into it!

Fernando came to church with us on Sunday! He is one of the kids who we met playing soccer and he came with us on Sunday and he is very excited for his baptismal date in two weeks, we are so stoked for him! After 9 months with no investigators at church or baptisms, we are about to have one here in our ward woohooo finally! Everyone else is progressing very well as well, the power of the Book of Mormon is unbelieveable, people can be touched by the power of God that we can feel from reading the Bookof Mormon. Last week as well we were able to find a tonmore people to teach and we are able to help them learn more about Jesus Christ, and make convenants with Him, under the power of his Priesthood. Last week we were walkingaround in the heat trying to talk with people and no one was listening to us and no one wanted to hear from us. We felt like we should walk down a sidestreet and as we did we saw one person walking in the street. We went up and talked to him, and he let us in his house and we taught himand his wife the Restoration and they invited us back for lunch tomorrow, we were happy! I love the mission, helping God and His children is the best thing that we can do,and we can all do it we do not have to be missionaries, so go out and do something to make the world a better place.

Ok so story time. The other day we walked by a park and we saw these digusting, diseased dogs, I will not describe it here because I do not want all ofyou to ruin your computers by throwing up on them, needless to say they were nasty. They tried to come over and sniff our pants, but we had to keep them at a distance, the last thing I want to do is contract Chilean rabid dog leprosy. Then yesterday, we walked by the same park. A little two year old kid was playing in the grass and all of the sudden a massive German Shepard rose up on its legs and ran over to the kid and knocked it to the ground with its paw. The dad of the child freaked out (like he should) and ran over to protect his son and we saw a brawl between man and beast. The dad kicked the dog all over, got his kid and then ran inside his house, we left before he came outside with his gun to shoot the dog. We felt so bad for the little kid, but we trusted the dad to finish the job.

It was a great week, I love the mission, and I am grateful to be here and learn and progress everyday and everyminute of those days, love you all, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Tilghman

Dyc 107:18

November 22, 2017 - Gang Gang

Ok so this last week was pretty awesome. Elder Lindow and I have been working our ties off and our ward is doing great. We have a ton of progressing investigators, some baptismal dates, and as well the number of people who come to church keeps going up woohooo. I am grateful in this Thanksgiving season for the opportunity to serve the Lord and the people here in Chile, I know the Lord helps and guides in His work that we perform.

Ok so the investigators. So on Friday we went to go play soccer at our chapel with the other ward and Elders that we share the building with. On our way we went and talked to all of the kids that we could who were out and about playing soccer and invited them to go with us. Two kids, Hector and Fernando, said they would meet up with us at the church. We were a little bummed no one came with us, but towards the end, Hector and Fernando showed up and played with us, and then invited us to their houses the next day to teach them. On Saturday we went to Hectors house in the morning and started to teach him about Christ. He stopped us and told us that he knows our messge is true. He had been praying to God for many weeks to get help with strengthing his faith, and afterwards he felt prompted to go outside to go play soccer. And then we showed up. Boom baby, miracles happen just got to go and get them! So Elder Lindow and I were pretty happy and then we went to Fernandos house later that afternoon and we show up and he starts asking us questions about the church and Christ. We teach him and he says he has read the Book of Mormon a little before and then told us he knows we are people sent from God to teach HIs Gospel. BAM, two miracles within a four hour period, and on top of that we had hamburgers for lunch that day, so BOOM, three miracles in only four hours! We are also teaching the homies (The Haitians) and they told us we need to teach them english and spansih because they want to get good jobs and be able to understand people at church. This was also a miralce, but it was yesterday, so our lucky 4 hour miracle window did not cover it. Actually we have had a ton of miracles this week, no one in the ward got mad at anyone else, we only got threatened one time this last week, and the dogs did not bite us but the other people!

Ok so funny story of the week. Bueno, not so much funny as a little dangerous, but do not worry mom nothing happened to us. On Saturday night one of the gangsters got shot and killed by another gang in our sector, so on Sunday about a good quarter of our sector was having a good old La Pintana funeral. So people were respecting the dead by rioting, playing loud rap music (I did hear some english songs) and walking around drunk and high as freak in the whole sector! The funeral services lastes for 4 days, so that was fun.

Ok so other story, this one strengthens my testinmony that God protects HIs missionaries. So on Friday we went to go check on a reference at like 9 thirty at night. The reference was on this sketchy alleyway with only one way in or out, and just as we entered, I told my companion to stop. I heard voices from around the corner behind us talking bout..... us. They were talking about where we lived and how we looked rich, and all of the sudden footsteps started to come from around the corner. We hurried and backtracked and right as we left the alleyway and stepped into the light, two hoodlums came around and walked right at us, we walked away and they followed us, but we shook them off. God watches over us.

I love the mission, it is awesome, no other place I would rather be, I am definitely counting my blessings this week, Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Elder Tilghman

DyC 46:32

BYU Bound

The boys that I live with

Typical trash field catches on fire at night time!

We celebrated my half birthday, hey when a good moment comes you got to celebrate it