This past week was interesting, challenging, but also gratifying. We lost a lot of time with going to Santiago for my visa (I had to renew it), a multistake activity in San Antonio, and ugh! I feel really bad for our numbers this past week. There are no excuses. This week we are going to work even harder. Hna Carter gave us good advice to follow the steps in "Nuestro Compromiso al SeƱor", so we've put goals and made plans of how we can exercise more faith. 

Satan has been working really hard in our ward, especially now that we have 8 missionaries. Trying to tear it apart from the inside, attacking the leaders of each organization in a different way, especially the bishop. I have never met a man with so many challenges, so much opposition. But he stays strong. He is such a good man. But this past week we became aware of another major challenge that is occuring among the youth in our ward. My heart hurts. We are doing all we can to support and help the bishop, but sometimes I feel inadequate. Please keep el Quisco and Obispo Rivera in your prayers.

Good things. Even though going to do visa errands is never fun, it was nonetheless fulfilling. We did good contacts while waiting in the tremendous lines. I met a woman from Bolivia, and we also met a woman from the states who is married to an Argentinan. I also had some time to get to know my nieta, Hna Nelson, a little better. She also had to go to Santiago that day to take out her visa. She's really sweet, speaks Spanish very well for only being in the field for less than two changes, and has no fear in contacting people.

It was Halloween, and also a long weekend because the 31st has been made a Protestant holiday. So, for the long weekend, Quisco filled up with people again. Lots of little children went out to go trick or treating in the late afternoon. There were lots of people drinking too. It was getting a little sketchy, so we went home a little early that night. Hna Turville played a prank on us where we got scared pretty bad. I thought it was pretty funny, but Hna Rodriguez was not amused.

Saturday there was a multistake young single adult activity in San Antonio. We the missionaries were there to help them do contacts and give away a Book of Mormon. Cualquier referencia! It went really well. One woman that we contacted (two jovenes and I) said that we had come en el momento preciso. I was also able to see a lot of jovenes from my first ward because their stake came out to this activity.

Victor Lopez, one of our menos activos that we have been visiting came to church on Sunday! And Carlos, one of are investigators that we had left because he didn't want to commit to baptism yet, well we felt really strongly that we should have one more lesson with him, on faith and repentance. In the lesson, his challenge/doubt came out and we were able to clear things up for him. We were so close to commiting him to a fecha. He has committed to preparing for baptism, and committed to praying about the fecha we have put for him (25 de Nov). Even though this was a challenging/frustrating/emotional week, the Lord continues to bless us for our efforts. I know I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but I continue to be amazed at how merciful he is.

--Hna Mercado