This is the best EVER!!!

OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE IT HERE SO MUCH!!! I now totally understand a missionaries need for emails and packages, I could not stop smiling the whole time I read your email, thank you for the fantastic and detailed update. So to answer your question, no it does not feel like REAL winter. It feels like a nice, homey, California winter. Just cold enough to wear a coat, but not too cold to be miserable and moody when you have to walk outside. We split up as missionaries at the airport and got whatever we wanted. Hermana Upton, Hermana McRae and I all got Panda Express together. It was almost surreal to finally meet them! Kind of made everything a little more real, you know? I did try to call in Atlanta, and I could hear you, but you couldn't hear me. Bummer, but its all good!

So as for my daily schedule...we wake up at 6 45 each morning...Presidente Allred plays Tabernacle Choir cds over the intercom to wake us up, how cool is that!! Personal Study is at 7 10, breakfast is at 8 10, then we get physical time from 8 30 to 9 30. My companion ROCKS, for many reasons, but one of them is that she is a runner, and loves jogging in the morning and then doing tons of push ups and sit ups and planks. We are basically perfect for each other!

From 10 in the morning until 10 at night, we have language and gospel study classes, with breaks for lunch and dinner at about 1 and 6 30. While it is difficult and straining and exhausting, I LOVE IT. I have three miestros-teachers- all returned missionaries and all great at teaching us what we need to know to be rockin missionaries.

We got our official Districts on Thursday. I am in District 7, and I already love every single member of our mini missionary family. We have 6 North American Elders, 4 Brazilian Elders, and then Hermana Mittelsteadt and I. Sometimes, it seems like we never stop laughing! We all get along wonderfully, and even though there is a small language barrier with the Brazilians, there's no separating off, everyone gets along and has a great time. I met my mission president and his wife immediately upon entering the CCM - MTC - and they are both great. I actually found out in Relief Society yesterday that we are RELATED through the Allred line! SO COOL!!!

I love hearing about everyone back home. Sarah will do SO WELL! If anyone could handle learning four languages at once, it's Sarah Burgett. She will be an amazing missionary.

Your vacation sounds fun, especially being able to go to the temples. This morning, I was actually able to do a session with some other missionaries in the temple right across from the CCM. It was going to be closed this week for cleaning, and Monday because duh, but they kept it open because they knew the missionaries had been looking forward to the peace of the temple. How amazing is that!!!

The address here is

Pedro de Valdivia 1423

Providencia
 Santiago Chile

And just address to me...haha duh...

My favorite class is my Book of Mormon Class. We all sit in a circle and just break apart 2, maybe 3 verses in 30 minutes. It's to get us used to how we would read scriptures with investigators. We wouldn't just sit down and read a whole chapter. we would pick the verses that are most meaningful, and go through them slowly, so that they can digest the information and let the Spirit do its work. It is incredible. I wish we could just read the book of mormon all day long.

So in case you didn't know, learning a new language es muy dificul. But it is coming along! Everyone here is in the same boat, learning and growing and really trying to do their best. I will admit, it is a struggle for me. I can express myself perfectly in english...it is hard for me to not be able to express them easily while I am here and trying to speak in spanish as much as possible. We do foux investigator meetings with our teachers, and I really just can't say much of anything in that situation at this point.

BUT.

I can say a blessing on a meal in spanish. I can introduce myself, and ask someone simple questions about themselves. I know foods, greetings, a few scattered, simple phrases...my favorite...Tiene hacer que hace. You have to do what you do. That's one of the first things I figured out how to say. It is frustrating, but I am putting all of myself into learning this language.

At one low point, I regretted putting in my papers that I was willing to learn a new language. Seriously, you can't just assume it will all come to you and you get it quickly, this is the hardest thing I have ever done. But I keep telling myself- I was willing to serve my Lord as a missionary. So I should be willing to go wherever, do whatever, preach whatever he needs me to. So I am here, in Chile, learning how to do exactly that.

I love this gospel! And I LOVE CHILE! I got to go shopping at the grocery store this afternoon, and walking down the cobblestone streets of downtown Santiago was just thrilling to me. They have fruit stands and farmers markets everywhere, street performers and vendors and beautiful trees and shrubbery. I LOVE IT HERE.

Last bit, I don't have much time left, but on our way out of the supermarket, we stopped to eat some ice cream Herman Mittelsteadt had purchased and a man approached us from a camera crew - that's right, folks - and starts talking in rapid spanish. Even though my rockin comp knows spanish pretty well, we had no idea what he was saying. Then finally, he starts talking in english. Hallelujah. He tells us hes from a local tv station, and is wanting people to imitate and sing like PIN UP GIRLS for his tv show. So we are like, dying, and then Hermana Mittelsteadt says I love to sing.

Thanks a lot, pal.

So he asks me to sing for him! I show him my badge, tell him I'm a missionary, and maybe instead of a 40's hit, I could sing one of my church songs for him. And he said YES! And I sang Called to Serve FOR A MORNING SHOW!  

So, yeah. This week has been both grueling and amazing. I love it here, I love Chile, my companion, my District, but most of all, I love the gospel. Which is why I'm here. Tiene hacer que hace. I love you all. Write me letters and emails! Por Favor! Ciao!