All is well with pizza, ice cream and brownies!

Hey,

How`s it going? I`m sitting here in a small internet cafe here in Santiago on a monday afternoon. It`s the last week of the change, so we are going to party with the other elders in our ward - pizza, ice cream, and brownies (from the package I recieved almost two months ago). Woo Hoo.

All is going well here. We are finding people to teach. The ward is awesome. My companion is awesome. I`m having fun, and I`m learning a lot. I didn`t find a good camera last week, so we have to wait about two weeks to go to downtown. What is the limit that I have to spend on the camera? Anyway, things are going well. My seahawks are winning! Woo Hoo! DangeRuss for rookie of the year!!!

Love you all, and miss you!

Elder Hjelm

Staying hot in La Rioja

Hola Amigos,

Things got really hot here this past week - upper 90`s for three or four days straight. We drank a lot of water, and nobody died, so it`s all good. We recieved changes yesterday, and I`m still here La Rioja for six more weeks, provided there isn`t another emergency change. I`m still with Elder Saravia from Bolivia, and the other elders in the ward are still here as well, so it should be fun. This ward is awesome.

On Saturday we introduced a new sport to South America -Ultimate Frisbee. We played it for a zone activity. My team won, but, sadly, I have lost almost all of my frisbee ability. I only had one touchdown catch and four touchdown passes. Wow. But hey, I did better than my seahawks this past week.

This next week we are going to be working superhard. Next monday we are planning on going to downtown to buy my camera - what is the limit that I have to spend? Anyway, things are going well here in Chile. It sounds like things are going well there. I miss you and pray for you.

Cordially,

Elder Hjelm

Go Seahakws - and Happy New Year!

Well, Well, Well,
     Why is it that my Seahawks are doing the best when I`m not there
to cheer them on? When I`m 15,000 miles away and can`t watch or
listen, they succeed. Oh well. It`s just another blessing of
missionary service.
     It was so cool to talk with you on Tuesday. It really lifted my
spirits. When we were quoting Frasier, The family whose house we were
at thought that I was watching youtube videos because I was laughing
so much. I miss that. But Christmas was good. I love my pajamas, and I
still have one peanut butter cup, a bag of jerky, and almost all of
the reisens left. The families are really nice here. One family gave
me a mug, and the other a boxed kit with a pen, a light, and toenail
clippers. I`d say that it was a very good christmas. The only problem
is that I couldn`t take any photos. We`re going to Lider (yes mother,
Chilean Walmart) today to go grocery shopping and to buy a new camera.
     We are working hard now trying to find people to teach. We`ve
been knocking doors and contacting referrals, but everyone has said to
pass by after the holidays. but we`re having fun. My companion super
funny, likes star wars and super heros, and is super cool. Things are
going well.

Que tengan un prospero año nuevo,
Elder Hjelm

Austin's Gift to us...

¡Feliz Navidad!

For the first time in my life, I`m putting on sunscreen for christmas. Also for the first time in my life, I won`t be with my family for christmas. But after this, there`s only one more.

Well, I`ll start with the exciting news. I had another companionship change. I`m still here in the same sector, and my former companion Elder Ferreyra went to another sector. My new companion is Elder Saravia, from Cochabamba, Bolivia. We are working hard, and having a lot of fun. Oh, I also got my package on wednesday. No, I haven`t opened it yet. I`m saving that for tonight at 12:30 when we get back to the apartment. Tonight we will be celebrating with members, and having a christmas eve dinner. We have to be back in the apartment at 12:30 AM - it`s a tradition here to stay up until midnight on Christmas Eve. Then tomorrow we have lunch with a member family, and then I will be calling at 4:00 pm MY TIME - 11:00 AM your time!!!!!!!!! Please be ready and make sure that everything works. Oh yeah, dad will love this. This past week we had a christmas party in the mission house, and they took us on a tour. The house is almost a hundred years old. I took a video that we will watch when I get back. It was really cool.

I want to give you all a gift for Christmas, and I have decided to share with you all what I know. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father, and he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to suffer, bleed, and die for us, so that we can return to live with God again. I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that it was translated by Joseph Smith, who was called to restore the Church of Jesus Christ, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that same church that Christ established, and it is led today by a Prophet of God. I invite everyone, my family, friends, and everybody else, to find out for themselves if this is true or not. During this holiday season, I grateful for the greatest gift ever given, even that of Jesus Christ. I wish I could be with you to celebrate, but you know that I`m there in spirit. I love you and I miss you.

I`ll be home for Christmas, If only in my dreams,

Elder Austin Bryan Hjelm

Dreaming of a white Christmas -yeah right!

Happy Holidays! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

One week before christmas, and all through our house, not a creature was stirring, because we´ve been out working. It sounds like everything is going well. Congrats, Mom, on your classes - I do take after you. And why did nobody tell me that Dad is having Knee Surgery? This is the type of thing that I would like to know. I wish I could have been there for Mom´s birthday, and the delicious lemon berry cake. But know that I was thinking of you, and we did eat cake with a member for her birthday. However, it was the Anti-Jodi cake, that is, Chocolate Cake with fruit. It was good.

I will be writing next monday as well, and I plan to be calling between 10:00 and 12:00 tuesday morning. I will try to zero-in the time this week. I can´t wait. Still no package by the way. If all works out, I should get it tuesday morning - on christmas day.

I´m dreaming of a white Christmas (pssh, yeah right),

Elder Hjelm

Very short, but pretty sweet

Hola,

I don`t have much time. First, I am extremely saddened by the loss of uncle Kurt. Please give my condolences and love to the family. Everything is well here. I am excited, and can`t wait to talk to you. Remember that I love you. I will write more next week.

Love,

Elder Hjelm

Sunscreen in December

Since when do I need to wear sunscreen in December?

It´s summer here, folks. It`s starting to heat up. My new area is, once again, large, but we are working in one little sector inside the ward. The ward is great - great members, many of which are ready and willing to help with the work. I found out last night that I will be here in La Rioja for this next change, which lasts until 2013. Wow. That went by really fast. This week we have Tour of the Mission, with Elder Jorge Zeballos of the Area Presidency. In two weeks we have Christmas at the mission House, and the next week is christmas. I`m already singing christmas songs, and we have a small christmas tree in our apartment. About the christmas communication - I need to start arranging things for a skype or phonecall. What you need to decide is if you want to buy or borrow a webcam, set up two skype accounts - one for you and one for me - and then I can use a member`s computer to talk with you. Or, we can talk on the phone. I would like to talk on skype so I can see your beautiful, smiling faces, and you can see my tan. Please decide what you want to do, and then we will work out the five hour time difference.

I am doing well. I can understand about 90% of what everybody is saying. I am not sick. I am safe. I love you, and I miss you. Good luck.

May the force be with you, always,

Elder Hjelm