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.

Semana 1 (week 1)

Chile Santiago Temple (P-day in the CCM)

Wow time has been flying by. It has been so busy here but all good. I only have 30 minutes to type so i will just send out one big email today. I was setting up all of my email and figuring out my camera. Well anyway today was obviously p day but you only get three hours to do what you want and an hour at most to email.

Me and my companion walked around a lot. We have a good time together. And while buying food from a small store we ran into some 15 year old school boys who we talked to for a while and then they went on their way. But as we were coming back down the road after picking up what we needed we saw them sitting on a bench so we talked to the three of them. we all understood each other pretty well and talked for 15 min in spanish and try to tell them about ourselves. and then as one of the boys was writing down his information their bus came to pick them up and they had to hurry on and go. But it was good to get practice and talk with nice people

Me and my Comp from Tennessee 

These past few days have been filled with so much. learning, praying, spanish, gospel, reading, writing, singing, speaking, and yes eating. The food was a little different at first but you get used to it. all of the missionaries that have been here warn about the "pan" or bread. they say if you eat too much, like more than one piece you will be having a hard time in the bathroom haha. We eat potatoes, rice and chicken all the time which is great for me because ill always eat it. there is also fish, soup, and other things sometimes. Ohh my gosh and i have to tell you about breakfast!! ok so for breakfast you come to the table which is already set and has lots of things out. you pour a bowl of cereal and then pour a bunch of yogurt on top! it is so different but it is the custom and because of the milk here. I like it because i like yogurt. The milk is never refirgertaed and is put on a shelf, and when it expires they boil it and put it back in. it is really different.

The spanish language is coming great to me! I am rooming in the ccm with some latino elders and they are so funny and nice. We teach them english and they teach us spanish. It is so fun and we always laugh. 

My p day and time might change around with so many missionaries coming in and out. A normal day is waking up before 7 and studying for an hour then going to excersise and go to the huge park with all the elders and play soccer and other games. then the rest of the day is study study study and lots of class. 

I am so happy about everything though and it will go by fast. Thanks for the prayers and such, i will keep you filled in but these weeks at the ccm will be jam packed and rush to get all the learning in that i can.

Well i have a few minutes left and wish i could talk about everything. But i love you guys. I love you mom, dad, garrett, blake, kelsey, and ashley. And of course i definitley love kennedy. As well everyone else in the family and grandparents:) I hope you are all doing okay. There is so much i have to say but i am writing in my journal every night so you guys will be fully filled in in two years. I love you guys so much! have a great week and i know i will!

i tried to attach lots of pictures but it wont send so many. The pictures of the road are a main road that is connected to the ccm and temple and many stores if you walk down in either direction. There is a picutre of me in front of the temple and one with my companion. One picture is of the ccm from the front and another is the temple from the front.

He Made it to CHILE ~ Arrival EMAIL!!!!

So after a long flight and making sure i had everything done, i got here at 8ish in the morning chile time! I didnt see any missionaries in CA or TX but when i got to chile there was a sea of them. We were all paying our fee and getting through security and customs. It took about an hour to get through customs and police and find our bags. once we got out of the airport it was crazy to see how many of us had come! probably almost 40 missionaries! and we are all going to either north or south mission. They said that last year they were averaging 30 missionaries in at a time but this group came in and was bigger. Now there are more than 100 here and training, about half from america and the other half from south america. 

My companion is really cool and is from tenessesee. We both wear gray suits to stand out! I am staying in the mtc (everyone calls it ccm in spanish) with a few other guys. They said we had to pick a few things to take out of our suitcases like three different outfits and other things. They will wash everything often and had to put our suitcases in storage until we head to our mission because there is so many of us and not enough room for everything. But i got what i needed and will be good for the six weeks here! 

There is less than ten bedrooms in the mtc so i got lucky to be put in here. And the other big group of people are all across the street in a housing place. Everything is going great though! It feels weird for us all because we see missionaries and dont think we would be one, but we are! 

The food was different at first but i got used to it for dinner. Well i usually put gallons of pepper on my food and did when we were eating. They put chili powder in the pepper.  So i probably will put less. Oh and they drink soda with every meal and all the time. But the water is fine in chile and to drink out of the tap. 

We are all tired from none of us getting very much sleep. I am doing great here and will find out my p-day some time this week. Love you guys all so much. Eveything is good here and i will tell you as much as i can when i get more time to email but they only gave us ten minutes to type this real quick. Thank you guys and i will talk soon. Love you so much.

-Elder Jaeger