New district & companion & house & everything

well this week i got a new companion Elder B and had to switch districts. because my past companion knew spanish really well and they made him zone leader. so i am still in a way cool district now and stay at this place called Alcantara. It's like a huge mansion.  The day before i packed up and left the ccm dorms i played piano, and a bunch of elders came around and started to somewhat freestyle rap while i played. it was a pretty fun night. 

This is my new home while finishing at the CCM
(Alcantara-Sweedish Home)

I am just going to throw around all my favorite parts of the week. So last night when we got home the older missionary couple who is watching us at alcantara had a scoop of ice cream for each of us and it was soo good. They might be doing something on thanksgiving for us. Oh and speaking of that i need to see what im thankful for. Obviously my wonderful family, parents, siblings, and kennedy we can count as family. Also for the church and the opportuntily to serve in chile. A teacher asked me this week what the one thing i dont like here is because everyone has one. i told him that i absolutely love it here and there isnt a thing i would change.

This week was really special. so we get to practice speaking spanish and talk to people walking around the temple. i saw a group of a dozen or so kids and had to go say hi. as i came up they all had future missionary tags on. we all talked for a long time and i told them why i am here and some of my testimony. i really loved it and remember being one of those kids looking to the missionaries and it feels wierd to actually be one now.

 Alcantara Missionaries - this is how we get to the CCM everyday by bus. 

haha Also everyone i guess really likes my ties. no lie though i get some pretty good compliments. and guys like to trade ties but i always tell them no because they are from my girlfreind. so by now everyone knows that im the Elder with his girlfreinds ties haha. nope i aint giving them away. and jokingly they made a list of who gets what when i get a dear john letter haha but that wont happen so we are good.

This week was great and i leave real soon to the field. thanks for all the support and love. i will not have a p day next week but will be going to my mission. have a great thanksgiving. i love you all

View from my room in the CCM of the Chile Santiago Temple

***THANK YOU Sister B for the pictures :)

Next group leaving the Chile CCM

Cile CCM Zone.  Staying at Alcantara

All of us in the Chile CCM

Things are gettin real

Chile CCM

Today is the first day that i am going to have to be speaking Spanish. I will be attending all Spanish classes and church and everything will be only Spanish from now on. I have got it all down though so I'm not worried. 

Two more weeks in here and we leave on December 3rd. Oh also there are tons of earthquakes here, but I'm used to them. sorry this letter will be all over the place because I'm checking the random notes i write throughout the week to email. Happy birthday to dad as well! hope you have a good one. 

Well this week we went to lunch and saw some "sausage," so we did what any hungry guy would do. We got some and started eating them, they didn't taste bad. As we look around the room no body else had eaten theres. So i lean over and ask one of the latinos why no body wants them. He said something in Spanish and I asked him again. He said "sangre." Now sangre means blood. So it ended up being cow blood and pepper haha.  Well I love pepper and it wasn't half bad at all.  

Well, i don't have much time to email. But i am still doing good here. -Elder A Jaeger 

ELDER Jeffery R. HOLLAND was here!!!!!

My District in the CCM

What a great and special week. I wish i could send you everything that Elder Holland said. But i have 45 mins to type up as much as i can. I miss all you guys and love you, but staying focused on this work and giving everything i have. So i will start by talking about how Elder Holland came by and Elder Christopherson (i dont know how to spell it) The ccm doesnt have very many missionaries right now because they all left so id say there is maybe 70 of us, pretty small and you know everyone by name. Elder Holland he got to speak to the few of us in person.

Hearing from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was a very special experience. We werent expecting him to come by and it was a surprise. He walked down our hall while we were having class and everyone came out to greet him. It felt so powerful to have the spirit carried with him. We all went to a small room like a young womens type of room. And opened by singing called to serve in spanish while standing as he entered. Then he got up to speak to us and did so for around a half hour, and spoke with great power. "This is one of the greatest  moments in the history of the church," he started as we all listened solely to the words he spoke. "This moment ranks with the 1st vision, the coming forth of the book of mormon, and the restoration of the priesthood." He said that we are a great part of this work that is going forth. He than gave church statistics and talked about temples and said how we will soon be counting temples by the hundreds and maybe even thousands later. A new temple will be built in Concepcion Chile soon. 

"This is not only the last dispensation, but it is the greatest dispensation." He said we are here to help and save many people and "it all starts with one convert and then goes forward." He then shared a story about a mission president in Europe who was having a hard time with his missionaries being discouraged as many dont want to hear the gospel over there. So the mission president prayed and heard in is prayer "Please dont let you missionaries be discouraged, they are doing OUR work." Now he doesnt know who said that to him but knew their work needed to be done. People have been waiting for their work to be done and Elder Holland said that everyone you baptize will lead to more and more baptisms.

"One of the most fatal mistakes you can make is to go into a mission without a vision." He talked about how we need to know what we want to accomplish and have goals. And talked about Joseph smith. Sorry i am trying to go through all i can with ten minutes left to type.

This week was great and I've been GAINING SOME WEIGHT!!! My favorite foods used to be potatoes rice and pasta and we are having it every day here haha. I have never been better and next week will be the start of only speaking spanish. Jello is the only thing us americans like to eat at meals too haha, everything else is always the same. oh and i kicked out two park lights accidentally when we were playing soccer. i am having so much fun here and cant wait to get out soon. ive got it down really good and can carry a conversation with those who speak only spanish. Sorry about my bad typing as i try to do it quick. have a great week everyone. now i get to go out and eat some pizza hut. bye

"If you will give this your heart and soul, and be devoted to god and the prophets and apostles, if you will take your stand with them, your life will be blessed forever and ever and ever." - Elder holland. he said that right before he finished.
bye- Elder Austin jaeger

Semana 2 - CCM

CCM (Chile MTC)

Woah there is so much to talk about and not enough time. only have 15 minutes now because i was sending pictures and emails. well a funny story real quick. so here in chile they drink soda and carbonated stuff with every meal, my companion and i wanted regular water. so at the store last week i bought what i thought was water. we were walking on our way and i opened it up the water it sprayed all over my shirt! it ended up being a bottle of carbonated water! 

This week my district and i got to sing nearer my god to thee in spanish for the whole CCM. it was during a devotional and it went great! the 8 elders and 2 sisters in my district are all great in music so always want to sing and stuff. 

When we work out every morning and go running there are tons of stray dogs.  If you are even the slightest bit nice to them they will follow you around. so imagine missionaries running with dogs around them haha. and they try to steal the soccer ball when we are playing. 

So today most of the mtc left to there missions and it is pretty empty, haha it went from over 100 people to less than 30. but another group is coming in soon. we are the next ones to leave now!

I have been having such a great time here at the CCM, never a dull moment. most people here only talk in spanish so it really helps me learn. oh i have been reading in mosiah this week for myslef and wanted to tell you all in case you may want to read.

Santiago Temple ~ CCM (Chile MTC)

it has been fun here, learning lots with 12 hours of class a day. and they told us that our group came a little later so this is our 3rd week and we will be off and out in the field by the end of this month. my spanish is coming along good. i can talk with many of those who speak spanish here. and we are able to purchase stuff easily in spanish. they have all the same stores. today we went to the mall which is the tallest building in chile. it had all the same clothing stores and food places. we had a cinnabon and dunkin donut. everything here is the same except it has real sugar... oh and no mountain dew for me. they dont have it.

 

well i sent a letter home for the family and one to send off to kennedy, i tryed too say much but will never be able to tell you all until i get home and read you my journal. i love you guys and pray for you. i dont have much time to fix all the spelling so sorry about that. and sorry that i might have been jumping all over the place. well talk to you guys next week. i am doing great here. miss you all but i am focused on the work. Love you all. have a great week and i know i will.

and a side not is that people say regular mail is better than pouch mail outside of the ccm. so just send it thorugh the regular mail. love you bye  -Elder Jaeger

Main road that connects the CCM & Temple to all the stores.