Heading South - My First Transfer in Chile

Querido familia y amigos,

So I have something to tell you first before I start my letter...... I got a phone call yesterday and it was President Rappleye. He told me that he is sending me home..... I don't even know why. He just said I can't be here anymore.. I don't know what to do?

Hahahaha ok ok just kidding. But seriously he called me to tell me I can't be here anymore. Well he didn't say those exact words. He told me I'm going with an Elder who came down to Chile with me. We have the same amount of time. So it's going to be interesting. But I'm leaving Los Muermos. I'm going to a place called Puerto Natales. He told me it's the most beautiful sector in PUNTA ARENAS!!!!!!!!! I fly out in two days. And I'm in a sector that is pretty much isolated. It's like 2-3 hours in bus from Punta Arenas. And so it will be me and my companion for the cambio alone. We won't see anyother missionaries for the 6 weeks. It's going to be good. I'm so excited! Normally when Elders go south they go for 6 Months and so when I return from down there I will most likely have a year on my mission. That is so nuts to think!! But I'm so excited to go down. And this is the only place in the mission that we can get the leather cases for scriptures like Alan has. So I'm excited because I wanted some of those. There is also a National Park there that only the missionaries in Puerto Natales can go to. So that will be fun! And hopefully there are penguins I hope so!! But also it's a HUGE tourist spot so there should be lots of Americans there and it's going to be a really good experience. I'm super excited I can't wait til my Christmas Party! I'm hoping that they haven't already had their's down in the Sur. But we will see right? I just want a Christmas party they are always so fun. And hopefully it will help with my first Christmas away from home. I'm hoping that it will anyways

I love the Book of Mormon. So many sweet stories!! It's awesome. I will try to record the memories in my Journal. Sometimes it's hard to write in it but I am trying harder and harder to write every night. But I want to keep them for my life. I love the traditions here and the food. It's so FATTENING!! They deep fry everything and I mean EVERYTHING! That is the bad part. But I'm trying to excercise and stay not fat. Haha we will see.

I know that the Gospel is true and Christ lived for us and still lives. He is amazing. I have been reading from Jesus the Christ. I have been trying to ready it and I'm in like chapter 3. It's hard but it's awesome. Builds my Testimony everyday! Well everytime I read it. But I know it's real without a doubt in my mind. I'm doing good and I'm happy. It's just nuts to think I have 6 months already. The time has gone by so fast and only gets faster once I can speak with everybody and understand everything they say to me. But I love it. Nothing like the Mission right?

Warming Up

Dear Familia!

Hey how is everything going? I am doing good this beautiful P-day. It's actually kind of hot here. I'm in a short sleeve shirt right now. And we had Helados. Ice Cream. I have some pictures and they are of My last day with Elder Richan in the bus terminal. And with Hna. Alicia. She is our President of the Relief Society. She is awesome and practically my mom so you don't need to worry about me. She even gives us food when the members don't give us lunch on sunday's because they forgot and she goes and buys it no matter how much we tell her she can't go buy any because it's the Sabbath. She just gets mad at us and does it anyways. She is such a sweetheart. I love her to death. And I'm trying to remember what other pictures I have on there. Oh our bathroom!!! It is destroyed. Well was. It had so many holes in the floor from past Elders who showered with the curtain on the outside of the tub. But now we have a bathroom that is like the states!!! I am still going to take pictures I just haven't yet sorry. But it's awesome!! I love it. And I have Pulgas. I hate pulgas. I keep forgetting to tell you about them. But I have had them Pretty much my entire time here. They are worse in the smaller towns like Muermos. So hopefully I don't get stuck with them my whole mission like Elder Richan. You should see his legs. Freakin nasty because he scratches and they break open and bleed. They are like misquitos. But a Pulga is Flea. It's because there are so many dogs here in the streets. They bug me so bad. So we have to spray our house with Raid all the time so the fleas leave. I did that yesterday. It sucks pretty bad.

So anyways. We had a special Devotional the other day. Elder Snow from the 70 came and talked to us. And also President Corbridge and President Rappleye was there. So we had 2 members from the 70 and President Rappleye. It was really awesome. He spoke on what we need to do. Using the Hymns when we teach. They teach basic doctrine. So it was really sweet. They invite the spirit and everything. Set the mood. I've only used them in the Family Home Evenings. But he said use them in with the investigators too. Elder Snow doesn't know Spanish so when he spoke President Rappleye translated for all the Latins. But it was awesome. I understood pretty much everything. It's easier to understand the Greengos than the Latins so haveing this conference was easy to understand the Greengos. Having a latin comp helps a lot. But the conference was so sweet!

We are starting to find more people so that is good. And we are starting to teach a little bit more I think. Maybe about the same but oh well it is good. And The language is coming better and better. I have a sweet little activity-display for the Plan of Salvation that I'm going to take a picture of it and send it to you. I'm coloring it right now. It's pretty sweet. I hope you like it. I got it from Elder Cayoja. But we are teaching Pedro, Latica, and their son Ernan. And also Leonardo, and also Hna. Lucy and also Irene. Thay are all awesome people. I hope they do good in their lifes.

.Well I love all you guys!! I love seeing pictures and hearing about everything. I really am doing good and I know that everything you said is true about Christ in his Birthplace in all those places you went. That is so awesome! But I know that he died for us and that he is our Savior and Redeemer. He loves us and wants us to live with him again and we will. I know that we will all live with him again. This is an amazing place and I'm glad that I'm here in Chile. It's amazing and I love the people. I miss all of you guys in home every single one of you!

Love this couple!

The Beautiful Campo or country

Check out the scissors we used to cut the grass.  I have so many blisters on my hands.

MMM-missionary food!

First Baptism

This last week we had a BAPTISM! It was on Saturday. It was awesome. My first one. And I love him and his wife to death. They are great people! And they want to be in the Temple as a family next October. That's their goal. I'm excited for them! But we just added another member. Like yesterday we had a record of 36 PEOPLE in CHURCH!!! It was pretty packed I'm not going to lie to you. But yes everything is going good here. This is our last week together. We have cambios on the 2 of November. That is next Wednesday. So we will figure out who is leaving and who is staying. We will see what happens. Neither of us want to leave the sector. That's the funny part. But one of us has to go.

I know what I'm trying to preach and teach is true. I am trying to help people feel the goodness that thospel can bring in to their lifes.  But I love you guys. Have a good week and don't party too much while your gone on your trip mom and dad! But have fun with it and take lots of sweet pictures. I cant wait to hear about it. That's going to be awesome!! Thank you for everything!

Love,

Elder Tyler Jolley

Climbing the Osorno Volcano

Hola! How is everything going?! I´m doing fine this beautiful P-Day!! We just got to Lider! It´s the place that´s like Walmart. It is amazing here I have to tell you. But this P-Day has been perfect!! Guess where we went as a group activity with the zone?? WE WENT AND HIKED VOLCANO OSORNO!!!! It was so sweet!! But with all that snow that was there it just made me want to go snowboarding so that was a little bit of a down fall. But it was amazing!! And we also went to a place called Salto de Petrohue. It is a place with a bunch of blue water and clear as can be! And also white water! We called it the Waters of Mormon. Where Alma baptized all his secret followers so King Noah didn´t kill them. So awesome!! And we used a members bus that he voluteered and he just drove us around it was so awesome. We had two zones. Our zone of Puerto Montt and also the next zone of Puerto Varas. It was awesome. So many Missionaries! But so fun!! Like the Volcano was so sweet!!! We got some sweet pictures!! We are going to burn me a cd of all the pictures we have together and stuff he took. So yea that was like my P-Day. So much fun.

But this week was amazing!! We just celebrated 50 years in Chile!! The Church that is. When the first missionaries entered into Chile. It´s been so sweet. And Thank You so much for your prayers!! They are definitely a life saver and I see the Blessings everyday from them! Just because of your prayers, Elder Richan´s parents prayers, and our pray and fast this last Sunday, Juan IS GETTING BAPTIZED THE 22ND OF THIS MONTH!!! Like he came out and said that he was never one to do God´s will and every since his wife was baptized she was trying so hard but he was holding her back and he doesn´t wanna do that anymore!! He wants to be good and follow Jesus Christ. He came out and told us all this a couple days ago. And he just started crying when he told us too. He wants to be with his family forever and he asked how long you have to be a member to go to the Temple and be sealed. So they are working towards next year for going to the Temple. He loves his family. He is such a great kid. It´s hard to think that both of them are our age. They are both 20 and have a 1 year old girl. She is such a cute little girl. But that is what we are looking forward to for right now in Muermos. Other than that we are searching as hard as we can and won´t stop looking and of course won´t stop studying spanish. Well I won´t.

I just wanna let you know I love this job and it is all better after having a crappy week to hear that one of God´s children are getting baptized!! But I love you and I´m out of time!!

Love you all

Elder Tyler Jolley

A Trip to the Campo

Everything is going good here in good old Muermos! We have been in the Campo all day! The campo is the farm land. We went out with a couple that we have been working with because they both are from out there. We got a tour of his parents property and all that fun stuff. We rode his tractor and he kept trying to get us to drive it but we are not allowed which is bad. I wanted to drive so bad!! But we wanted to go cow tipping too so what else is new. By the way I didn't drive the tractor!! But yes all these pictures are awesome right? We have fun. That has been us for the past little bit! Got the volcano in the background and one going to District Meeting and our bus broke down! Just some good random stuff in there!

Conference was sweet! Elder Holland's talk in the Priesthood Session was so powerful and just straight to the point! So awesome! I loved all the talks though! It was fun to be able to watch them. But We only watched the Priesthood Session in Puerto though. We were going to watch all of it down there but we stayed here in Muermos so we could help with our members and with investigators. So we just traveled down to the priesthood session but yea that was pretty awesome!! I loved it. Sitting with all the other missionaries was fun but sometimes they just talked so it got old. But yes Conference was fun and powerful. Very powerful

Check out the two volcanos in the background.  The southern part of Chile has dozens of volcanos!

 A bus stop?

 The beautiful Campo or country!

 Cow tipping????

Me and my boys havin so much fun!!!

Hey fam how is everything going? Everything is going good here! I am at the 6-8 story mall in Puerto Montt writting back. And it has been a day already. I am getting ready to go and buy a sleeping back and some slippers because our floor is very cold in the morning because it is wood. But I can handle it.

We were both in the mood for some pizza and let me tell you. We just got a family size pizza each from pizza hut and it was delicious. I can tell you that much. But yea today was great. We got one of the rules changed this past week. And we can now play soccer on P-Day!! So that´s exactly what we did. We had some sweet games of soccer and let me tell you what. Them latins are good. But it was so fun! We played at the church of our Zone Leaders. It was sweet. It was good to run around a little bit. It is crazy up here

But everything is going good here. Just got an order to fix our house up. Well an authorization. Our bathroom floors and holes and the floor is rotting because the missionaries before like a long time before showered with the curtain on the outside of the tub and it got all rotted. But like it´s still a great bathroom. We actually have a washer. So that´s nice. But one morning when Elder Richan was getting out of the shower a whole broke because of the rot and he stuck his arm out and pretty much broke the sink off the wall so we are getting rid of the sink, bath, and a new floor. Thats pretty awesome. And our door knob is broken so we have some secret combinations to get into our house besides climbing through the bathroom window like we used to. And it´s pretty sweet. Like the house is way nice and we have it all to ourselves so thats amazing! And also our kitchen sink doesn´t work so we got permission to fix that too. So that will be way good. I´m excited and hopefully I´m here when that happens. But other than that nothing too new has happened. We actually got into some houses and taught and got some news. I had to go on Inter-Combios on tuesday to wednesday so I was with Elder Haug (my Zone Leader) and Elder Gomez the other Zone Leader was up in Los Muermos with Elder Richan. So Puerto was good to me. There are a lot of hills. But it was still good. Everything here is going sweet though. We are getting ready to go and get some more food. Hopefully we have some money. Because travels are what kills us. But we will be good. We will make it work.

It actually is not like warming up a lot. Like it should be anyways. Like the weather is Bi-Polar. It is warm then this huge rain storm off and on all day. no joke! But it´s alright that's what we have coats and stuff for.

I have to give a talk on the 11th of this month so on Sunday and I am conducting on the 25th later. It´s gonna be a fun experience I guess.

Hello from Los Muermos, Chile

 I stayed in a little old inn that night before traveling because we are the first generation of a brand new program that is in all missions now that is supposed to make it so after the first 2 combios or transfers you can be a trainer. It´s called the first 12 weeks. It´s a sweet program. And I kinda understand a lot and our lessons are going really good. But I am going to have to start taking charge in the lessons with this program. Which is ok. But it´s tough when no body understands you. But they are still going good. We live in a little old house in front of the Branch Presidents house and guess what? I´m the 2nd councelor in the Branch Presidency. Crazy right? It´s so nuts. It´s awesome here I love it but I haven´t seen the volcano yet or anything so maybe soon. It´s been cloudy and cold every day and it´s rained everyday. But not like way bad. So thats a good thing. Our house doesn´t have like a heater we get to roll around a little space heater from room to room. But it´s not too bad. My companion is Elder Richin from St. George Utah. He is awesome. He has been her for a year and a half. he leaves in January. He has taught me a lot. He is a good guy.  Puerto is about 2 hours south of Osorno and Los Muermos is about another hour East of Puerto. Well thats all by bus. If we had a car it would be faster. This program is a lot of work but we are taking her on. No baptisms yet but we are teaching this girl named Yessenia and she is 19 and married with a kid and her husband Juan. She was baptized like the Saturday before I got here. We are working on Juan still. But it´s close. We don´t have any dates yet but hopefully soon. We are taking a break today because we have traveled almost every day. so we are going to hang out today.

Goodbye MTC - Hello Chile

Tyler leaves tomorrow for Chile.  He is excited and a little nervous.  He feels like he is ready and very anxious to leave.  He shared his testimony with us.  Good Luck Elder Jolley.  Our love and prayers go with you.

"I know Jesus Christ lives and died for our sins.  I know that God loves us and sent Jesus Christ because he loves us so much.  I know the Book of Mormon is true and is also the Word of God.  I know the Plan of Salvation is true and we'll see Natalie and live with her again.  I love you mom and dad. I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true!

This picture is with Ty's whole district and their new Mission President and Mom - President and Sister Rappleye

Just a little more fun!

New DL

I'm doing good. Just a couple things to update you from last friday... On sunday I became the new District Leader for District 17 Brand D. So that is going well. It's is a great oppurtunity to serve all the people in my District. I love them all.   Our Devotionals and Firesides are going good. But they are all like emeritus seventy. Or they work here. So nothing as exciting as an Apostle or the Prophet. Oh and just some other exciting news!!!  We have about like 16 days left here or something like that! We should be getting our travel plans this week!! well this next week. 2 weeks in advance. Can't wait!

Some fun at the MTC

Ty with his companion Elder Barker

Some of the Elders in Ty's district.They are from left to right, Elders Bosse, Ty, Lennon, Frost, Porter, Hardin and Barker with Elder May in front.

Elder Porter, Elder Jolley and Elder Barker ready for take off:)

Elder Ty watching what looks like To This End Was I Born. That's just a gues

Update from Elder Jolley

Yesterday was the perfect day. Especially here. We taught our investigator who is really our teacher but she changes personalities. And we taught her of the Plan of Salvation. We teach for 15 minutes but we got back to our class to tell the other missionaries to go in and it had been a half an hour! It seemed like 5 minutes and it went so good. The spirit was so strong and she almost cried. She was tearing up and so I think after another lesson we could commit her to Baptizm. We even got her to pray for us at the end of our lesson. She said no at first and she just said it was because she didn't want anyone to make fun of her. We convinced her that nobody would because a prayer is from the heart not a script. She said she only did it in private but not public. It went really good. We were so happy when we left! . . . .

The flag is actually hanging up from our window so we didn't put any holes in the flag or anything. It is weird how similar the Chile flag and the Texas flag are. They are pretty much identical. Everything is going good here! And we are getting ready to finish up laundry and get ready for the temple. We are way excited!! I think we are just going to do a regular session. So its going to be good. Well anyways I love you guys. You don't need to worry about me. I'm not too homesick yet. ok I'm not homesick. The days are long and seem like forever but this week went so fast! It seems like yesterday was Monday

We received a letter and an e-mail from Elder Jolley today.  What a fun treat for us.  I thought I would share a couple of things from him.

Written on Wednesday night:

"Everything went good today. We were told that in our free time we had to write home to tell you we have a bed to sleep, a roof over our heads, and that we are breathing and not on a resperator.  It is 10 p.m. and has been a crazy day.  Right when I stepped into class after getting all of my books the teachers were in my face just speaking non-stop Spanish.  I didn't understand anything. . . .  I love you guys. Oh that's something else I have to get used to is not saying, man, guys, dude, etc. We have to say Elder."

Written today, Saturday:

Hey mom,

Everything is going great just Preperation day right now. So we get a half an hour to email while our laundry is going. Spanish is coming easier I guess. I mean I'm still having trouble with it but oh well I guess it will come sooner or later right?. . . .The food here isn't bad so I eat it and it is bad because its all you can eat. I normally just get one trey but then we go sit in class for like 3 hours so its not good. We only have 1 hour of gym but it is good to exercise a little. You should send me a Chilean flag we can hang from our ceiling.. . . Well anyways tell everyone I love them and hopefully I can write soon.

. . . .Well I love you guys. Have fun and I'll talk to you soon!

Love,

Elder Jolley

We had a few tears before pulling up to the MTC but once we were there, we started to unload Ty's bags from the trunk.  He put his backpack on and started to walk up to where the other Elder was standing.  That cute Elder leaned over and said to Ty, "Why don't you give your mom another big hug."  He did and then he hugged his dad. Once he said his final goodbyes, he was off, with no looking back.  Way to go Elder Jolley!  We love you!