The one with the last email

Well, here we are guys. after all this time that ive been writing home and keeping you all updates on my life in chile, its finally coming to an end. by this time next week i should be home in Fresno and this crazy/awesome experience ive had in chile these past 2 years will become a memory fo the past. i dont want to say that these have been the best 2 years of my life because that implies that i wont get any better from here on out. better said, it has been the best 2 years FOR my life. this has truly been a once in a lifetime experience to have been able to serve as a full-time representative of the Lord Jesus Christ and to have had the opportunity to help great quantities of God's children in such a variety of ways. Never again will i be able to walk through swarms of dogs and not be concerned if they have owners (most dont) , never again will i be talking with random alcoholics and drug addicts about the importance of Jesus Christ in our lives and how he can help us, never again, never again will i knock a door and when the door opens decide if i should begin to speak english, spanish,or creollo. never again will i be able to wake up and ahve my only concern be what the Lord wants me to do with my day. My mission has truly been one of a kind. It's shaped me, molded me, broken me down, and built me back up again. i have felt the heat of the refiner's fire as the Lord had slowly shaped me more into the person that he wants me to become. I have come to a greater knowledge of my Redeemer and i have come to know Him personally. I testify that he lives and loves us all more than we can ever comprehend. i know all these things and more to be true and i will never be able to repay the time I've had here in Chile for what it's taught me. I don't consider myself to be different, I'm still me, just a better version of me. I cant tell you all how excited i am to see you all again and i want to say thank you for all the love and support that I've felt throughout this whole journey. I guess this is it guys, i love you all and ill be seeing you really soon!!! catch me at the lake, the pool or your nearest Chipotle.

much love always, Elder Carlos Cabrera signing off for the last time

the one with the last skype home

Hola!!! so everybody the weeks are coming down to the end and after today i'm only going to be writing you all 2 more times so hang in there and bear with me haha. this week was awesome we had a full week of work and visits and just helping people but obviously the highlight of the week was mother's day this past sunday. usually i don't get too excited for mothers day since it just leads to stress about what to get mom since im awful at shopping for girls and what do you get a girl that has everything she evers needs...a son like me. but that's beside the point, i was excited because i was able to skype home to my family and see all there beautiful faces and man how time has passed. crazy to think this was my last time skyping them, since in a few weeks i'll be by their side again. no tears were shed, no goodbyes were difficult, it was a mere see ya soon and we left it at that. best skype of them all. Family truly is the most important thing that there is, i didn't understand that truly until i was without them after all this time. like they say, you don't appreciate something until you don't have it anymore, well i have the blessing of being able to experience that lesson and then get them back. 

we're doing great, we're working hard and finishing the race strong and trying to be able to say the same as Paul did when he came to his end by saying, "I have fought a good fight, i have finished my course, i have kept the faith"-2 Timothy 4:7

i love you all so much, take care and happy late mothers day to all the mothers out there that i know and love.

love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

The one with the last zone conference

Hola everyone!! so this week was when the "lasts" start happening as i experienced my last zone conference in my mission. it was a great conference we learned a lot and at the end a bunch of missionaries came up to me saying goodbye and some of them i'll probably never see again. how crazy to think? it made me sad to think that this is coming to an end and some friends ive made here i might not ever be with them in person again, thank goodness for technology though or else that would really rough. but things have been good, we had a barbecue today with the homies and we really enjoyed ourselves. im starting to have to say goodbye to people for good and im not a fan. but itll be fine its never an actual goodbye its just a see ya later. ive learned that principle the hard way haha. i hope you guys are all doing good and that youre preparing yourselves to have my back in town once again, you still have time no worries. I love this work i love this country and i love being Elder Cabrera, the day i look down and not see that name on my chest is gunna be an awfully sad day. but im just going to make the days count. love you all mucho and have a great week!!!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

The one where i was a soapbox preacher

Hola a todos!!! yup thats right im writing all you guys again and on a monday! forgive the change of routine it's only temporary. wow what a week ive had!!! as i'm getting towards the end i'm appreciating more and more what i do everyday and i don't have much to report for now but i want to share probably the coolest experience we had this week. 

so this week we were walking around contacting people when all of a sudden we passed a park and saw three family members sitting on a bench and we asked them how they are doing, what they're up to and we just got to talking. turns out the family was from venezuela and one only had been in chile for about 2 months. but they started asking us what two gringos are doing here in chile and we started sharing what we do and what we preach.and as we got to sharing the restoration more and more family showed up to the point where do full benches of about 8 people were listening to us as i shared the first vision. it was awesome i felt like one of those old school missionary that use to preach on soapboxes to the crowds of people. what a sweet experience.  

i love this work so much and im going to make the most of the time i have left to do be apart of it. 

love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

sorry no pics this week!!!

The one with the chicken feet

Hola Everybody!!! i know i know you've heard the same beginning to an email for the past like year and a half but hey just hang in there cause you wont heard it much longer. that's right this week is start my very last transfer in the mission. it's ridiculous how soon all of this is coming to an end. but that's not gunna stop us from making the most fo everyday that we have left. 

so this week was great, we ended a transfer we said our goodbyes to people that went home and had transfers to other areas out of the zone, we had a primary activity where as a zone we sang "the army of helaman" and it went pretty well for only practicing 10 minute before haha. 

this new week starting off fast as we helped the new people to the zone get into their houses and get to know their new areas. it's fun to be able to serve in leadership, more opportunities to serve others. then for lunch we had a delicious, chicken feet soup. i don't know if ya'll have ate chicken feet but it's an interesting experience, especially when their talons are still attached. but it's okay, we survived.

highlights happen everyday, we laugh we preach and we walk a lot. that's what we do in this mission and thats what ill be doing until the end. all's good in the Lord's vineyard. success will come soon and you'll be seeing more people coming unto Christ and getting baptized. prepare yourself for some white clothes real pronto!

love you guys! Elder Carlos Cabrera

fact of the week:

chicken feet are apparently good for your skin, i ate 4 so i should be looking real good anytime soon...i'll be waiting

The one with the perks of being a baller

Hola a todos!!! i hope everyones been doing well up north (like northerm hemisphere) and that youre all enjoying the beautiful spring time. reporting to you live again after another week of this 2 year chilean adventure that ive been on. this week has week has been one of a lot of self reflection and growth. ive learned so much everyday and ive been able to see the Lord's hand in His work. its been a blessing to be able to. besides the normal missionary work and all the randomness that it consists of, we're just been running around with some many things, busy life as a leader. 

but funny story of the week, so every pday or tuesday we have kind of like a day to go out play sports and write all you guys. but if we want to go to another part of santiago we have to ask permission from our leaders to do so. so last night we and 2 sister missionaries wanted permission to go to this activity which they invited us to. but in the end when we asked for the permission, the leaders ended up giving us permission to go play basketball but not the sisters. when i had to tell the sisters, they were not very happy campers, they complained and whined and just didnt understand why we could go and not them and the answer i really had for them was "hermana, its the perks of bein a baller". they didnt respond to that very well but hey, it is what it is am i right?

besides that all is good down here, keep me in your prayers and i will sure keep you all in mine.

much love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week: 

1. culd de sac is a french word and thats how you spell it, ya learn something new everyday

2. in basketball everything is possible if you have a good 3 point shot, steph can testify of that

The one with the 10 from Tennessee

Hola Everyone, yeah i know i know youre probably all getting tired of getting these emails every week for the past however long but hey hang in there guys, theres not many more so enjoy them while they last haha.

this week has been a good one, we've been working hard and preparing our two investigators that we have with bapstimal date for this sunday to be baptized. Remy and Gabriel are doing great, they go to church, they go to activities and theyre reading and praying everyday. theyre great people. i have found great joy in my mission service as ive come to recongnize the opportunities ive had to better the lives of the people by sharing the message that im here to share. and to explain the subtitle of this email, a guy came up to us yesterday out of nowehere at night and i was caught off guard and a little worried he was trying to pull something on us and then out of nowhere he said in english, "are you guys from tennessee?" and we were like "NO" confusingly and he was just like "cause youre the only ten i see" and then just walked off, we were left laughing hahaha, totally made our night. the most random, funny stuff happens here in the mission and its those memories you cherish as well. as you all can tell im great right where i am. i wish the same for all of you. have a great week!!!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

instead of facts i want to give a huge shout out to some really special people in my life whove had or will ahve birthdays this month tghat i have to miss for the last time:

Happy Birthday to my Grandpa Eccles, Aunt Camille, Aunt Trudi, my handsome lil brother Caden (13), my lil princess Kami Lu (9) and my grown young lady for a sister, the red herself, Kennedy (17)

Happy Birthday guys i love you so much, sorry i have to miss your birthdays, but its the last time. You all are in my prayers and ill give you all your birthday hugs, and maybe gifts, when i see you again. LOVE YOU

the one with my last general conference

Hola Everybody!!! It's your favorite missionary from down here in beautiful Santiago reporting to ya'll again and man what a beautiful easter weekend did we have. As many of you know, we had the opportunity to hear from our beloved Prophet President Russell M Nelson and other inspired men and women of the Church. It was the first actual solemn assembly that i participated in as we sustained him as a prophet of God, i truly felt the spirit testify to us all of the truthfulness of his sacred calling and allowing us to know that he is truly a man of God. i'm so grateful for these beautiful spiritual experiences that testify to my soul and allow me to grow in ways i didn't know were possible. after all this time that i've been in mission, i would think that i have seen and felt it all, but moments like those are what continue to prove me wrong. I thought a lot of my loved ones all around the world this past Easter Sunday and i want you all to know that you remain in my prayers and thoughts often.

today, as a zone we played handball and let me tell you...it was so fun to throw a ball like that again. i haven't thrown like that since the last water polo game i played and i'm pretty sure ill be sore tomorrow, but it was definitely worth it. then we hit up wendys and i made my original chili covered baked potato, don't knock until you try it. still dont have frostys but we'll get there someday. love you all so much and see ya'll soon!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. everyone and their mother passes missionaries chocolate eggs on easter, so much for the diet

2. the missionaries are a drunk mans best friend, if you're wasted and can't get home, the missionaries are your friendly-neighborhood spidermans to save the day, we won't just get you home but we won't steal your phone in the process, hope ya made it okay Hernan

the one with a whole lot of social events

Hola Everybody!!! that's right I'm alive and well still down here in Chile!! this week went by way fast and i think the next 10 weeks are gunna fly as we come down to the end, it's a little scary. anyways to give ya'll a run down on the week, this week we had zone conference which was super awesome i saw a bunch of my buddies and we learned a lot of important things from our awesome mission president, what a conference. i didn't want it to end. then yesterday we also had to take care of some visa stuff for my companion in the city and we were there like all day with a bunch of buddies from my group so the hours sure passed by fast. we were just chatting up a storm and it's crazy how close we've all become after all this time here in Chile, these are friends that im going to have for life, i love these guys. Today we played basketball, my jumpshot was on point but my 3 pointer was struggling a bit, we'll work on it when i get home. then we went to carl's jr and i ate the best meal ive had a long time. and free refills! that doesn't exist down here in Chile, but today i felt like i was at home again haha. 

the work has been going great, some investigators went to church this week that we were definitely not expecting to come and that really made our day. we're working a lot with haitian people and im little by little learning their language (creole). it's crazy to understand 3 languages in one conversation. everything's going great and i'm truly happy with life these days. i pray that you can all say the same as well. 

I love you very much and i wish you a great week!!! 

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. when a bunch of gringos play basketball for the first time in years, they all just try to make 3 pointers the whole time

2. free refills don't exist in chile, but little by little, they're moving in the right direction, next step: free bathrooms

The one where i was a burglar

Hola everyone!!! So this week has been crazy busy!!! we had meetings to go to (we also ate mexican food so it wasnt that bad) and a whole lot of people to visit. My comp Elder Whiting and I have been going so hard since we're kinda on our last stretch of the mission. yeah we still have like 10 weeks left but we're not trying to waste anytime at all. we've been teaching people from all over the world, Haiti, Peru, Dominican Republic, Colombian, you name it. not that many chileans believe it or not. but this week my comp made the dumb mistake of forgetting the keys inside the house and unfortunately the only way to get into the house was through the bathroom window which was way too tiny for either of us to go through and actually impossible for my big boy companion. so, for being the skinny one of the two, i had to go through the window and let me tell ya, it was not a pretty sight. but we ended up getting in and we're all good now haha. so that was the story of the week stand by for more wild adventures of Cabrera and Whiting!! Love you all and have a great week!!!

Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. you can call anyone tio or tia (uncle or aunt) and its totally okay here, apparently a bunch of people have nephews or nieces hahaha

2. everyone has the same african decor in their houses, i dont know if its the style or just the cheapest thing in the stores 

The one where i go to Conchali

Hola Everyone!!! well heres the latest updates: i am no longer in Colina i was transfered to a new area called Fermìn Vivaceta in the zone of Conchali. my new companion is elder darren whiting from Mesa, AZ. we came to the mission together and we're actually going home the same day too so we have a history together haha. But yeah it was so sad having to say goodbye to the area and all the people i grew to love but thats the mission for ya. its full of hellos and goodbyes and you know you loved the people when it hurts to say goodbye. i guess i loved them too much haha. but i know ill learn to love the people in my new area as well. but this time the goodbye will be when i go home. i just want to invite you guys all to appreciate what you have and not only when you dont have it anymore because by then its too late. but we'll see what this new area has in store for me and ill be keeping you posted on all our adventures. 

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

The one with Jadens birthday party

Hola everyone!!! yeah its me and this time i come with photos again!!! thats right i got my camera and now you guys can have actual evidence that im alive and well and that its still me thats writing every week haha. this week passed by way fast especially the weekend. this past weekend we had district conference here in Colina and it was wonderful, great talks and the spirit was definitely present. but on top of that, we had a PIZZA PARTY!! thats right i havent had one since like the 6th grade but my buddy Jaden Meservy (President and Hermana Meservy's son) turned 14 on saturday and we all celebrated with pizza, root beer, dr pepper and mint brownies! you have no idea how much i was in heaven i havent had any of that stuff in a long time, i nearly cried when i saw the rootbeer cans hahaha. so it was great!!! besides that alls well here, this coming week we should be having transfers and most likely my companion Elder Puello is taking off to another zone to continue his mission, we've been together for 4 months and its always a little sad to say goodbye but thats the mission for ya. stand by to see what happens. anyways i guess until next week!!! take care everyone! 

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. there was a rumor around here that Trump declared war on Chile and everybody became anti.gringo for a good 2 days hahaha

2. when you dont know what to say but you need to kill time its super easy in Chilean spanish, you just stress the sylablles and the time flies by

The burning ceviche 1-Elder Cabrera 0

HOLAAAA Everybody!!!! Long time no talk! sorry about no email last week, things were hectic and i couldnt get around to it. but im here im here safe and sound so no worries. youre favorite chile missionary is still going strong down here in Santiago and wow how the time flies. its getting harder and harder to write these emails because everythings starting to just blend together and when the time comes to tell you all about it, i dont remember a thing. you can all imagine how frustrating that might be. 

so lets see whats the latest in life, well we've just been visiting a bunch of people and helping in anyway i can. ive come across a new perspective of missionary work. i use to look at it as a day by day door knocking fest, where we just had to knock a bunch of doors try to share the gospel with anyone we saw and that was it. in a certain regard, thats not incorrect. but what ive learned is that its so much more than just that. what we do is we lift people up who donty have the strength to lift themselves up. we help people progress, we help people learn and make changes and in the process, we do the same. Ive developed a new appreciation for this work, and its taken me about 21 months to do it haha. dont take missionaries for granted, on the contrary, take advantage of their dedication and their desire to serve and allow them to use you as a reference and a guide to bring this Gospel to all our friends and loves ones. a missionary has power to change lives, and thats something im really gunna miss after all of this. but im not done yet so im going to make the most of it while i still have it.

just a few thoughts i thought id share this week. i love you all very much and i wish you my best. sorry there arent any photos, the computer isnt recognizing my camera so hopefully next week. 

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. peruvian ceviche makes hot cheetos seem like baby food. so ive ate mexican ceviche no big deal, but this week i tried an authentic peruvian ceviche with a bunch of peruvians and i felt my insides melt a little bit, all the peruvians just laughed at us and ate it like it was no big deal

the one where i defend myself with a shovel

Hola Everyone!!! another week has past and that means 7 days of experiences, laughter, and miracles! Every week in the mission had something new and different to offer, the adventure is finding out what that one thing will be this week. so instead of going on and on about how the week was good and the classic deal, im gunna tell you all a story.

so 9:50 last wednesday, we arrive home after a full day of preaching the gospel, not one time did we come home that day from the time we left in the morning. so we get home, Elder Puello goes to unlock the gate so we can go in and then open the house door. but when he goes he realizes the gates already open, and then he asks me "did you leave the light on when we left?" and i was like "no, did you?" and he was like "nope". by that point we were freaked out, we thought someone was inside maybe some homeless dude, maybe a thief in the act or whatever. i go inside the gate and i tell my comp to have my back. but he was like "nah im gunna stay here" and i was like "what if they kill me?!" and he was like "if they kill you theyre definitely gunna kill me too". yeah so i was like whatever at that point, i found a shovel outside and i crept through the back side of the house to enter the back door, the back door was already open. so i enter very sneakily and everything ready to defend myself but turns out nobody was there. the burglar has came and gone with my camera, my electric razor, a hammer, a a screwdriver, a flashlight and other meangless items. and from my companion's things....absolutely nothing. that lucky punk.

so i guess we all learned something from this, always lock up well, always have a shovel near by and when it comes to a fight, my comp will support me from afar. Awesome. I hope you liked the story, im sorry for zero photos but for obvious reasons there werent any to send today haha.

I wish you all a great week and i send my best.

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

The week where I was asked to be a son-in-law

Hola Everyone!!! This week has been great down here in Colina Chile, i was finally able to upload the photos from Genessis' baptism so feel free to check those out at the bottom. this week was really good, the weeks are getting shorter but not as short as the number of weeks i have left, too crazy to think about. but I'm just trying to make the most out of everything and try to take it all in. It's funny cause I'm finding everything more meaningful this way, the food we eat, the lessons we teach, the experiences we 're having.

But this week was good, Genessis was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received the gift of the holy ghost. it was so special.

but funny experience of the week:

the other day we were knocking doors and trying to talk to people and this one lady came out kind of distressed about something, we offered her a card with a little question to think about and the question was: how can i achieve peace and happiness in my life? and when she read that she was shocked and said that she was in need of those two things. then she asked why we came to her house and we said " we felt like we needed to meet you" and she started to tear up. She told us to come back another day to share our message and then as she got to know us she asked about what we do, why we do it, how do we have money if we don't work, and then she got on the topic if we had girlfriends. My companion told her yes and i said nope I'm single haha. she then asked me if i wanted to be her son-in-law and called for her daughter to come meet us hahaha. it was hilarious but a very spiritual experience for us as well. it just goes to show that there are people waiting for this message, we just have to find them and have the guts to knock the door or open our mouths.

well thats all for this week, i love you all and have a great week.

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. in colombia Cartagena, they dont have addresses, you cant just type in a street name and a number and get there, i feel terrible for FedEx

2. the word tonto in spanish can mean silly or stupid but it depends completely on how they say it, half the time i cant tell the difference