Well Hello Again

I will be leaving right after general conference, which is AWESOME, being in the CCM one year after the big age change, to be a part of the huge wave of missionary work, and experience general conference this way. I cant wait!

Santiago is beautiful. Only three pdays out and about in the city, and I am already smitten with it. It looks a lot like other big cities, but the architecture is a little different, older and a little crumbling, but you know I like old stuff :) There are lots of fruit stands and street vendors everywhere, and in the part that I am in now, there are beautiful walking bridges and cobblestone-ish sidewalks. People walk and ride their bike more than they drive. In some places, they even have bike roads. SO COOL!!!

Shopping is interesting. At this point, we don't do any substantial grocery shopping because we are fed here at the CCM, but every p day we go to Liders,  the grocery chain in this part of Chile, to get snacks and such. Today I got bananas and clementines from a street vendor, and some Chilean cookies from the grocery store. I never thought I could be so excited about buying groceries, but it is one of my favorite things on p day. Its funny, they have a USA section in the grocery store with creamer and granola bars and peanut butter, and it consists of about one sixth of an isle. I am definitely in South America! Plus, they had quinoa. Which made me heart so very happy. I cant wait for real grocery shopping, just so I can buy quinoa!

I am pretty biased that all the sisters here ROCK. We got a new bunch this last Wednesday, lots of Latinas and only 4 North American sisters, and of course the Elders. But we are all friends, everyone- everyone! - is on fire about the gospel! I absolutely love it here! There are of course the sisters that spend quite a bit of time chatting with the elders, flipping their hair and laughing at everything they say. Bleh. Lamos. But still, so much love for everyone here. I basically have about 100 buddies. That's another great thing about the CCM, it is pretty small, so everyone knows each other. It is delightful!

You have to be an RM to teach, and while some have been back 2 or 3 years, some returned in July! Its crazy to think that we have 21 year olds teaching us how to be missionaries...new experience, but again, I LOVE IT!

I would like pictures of all my girls, Emmy especially becuase I talk about here A LOT. She is one of my favorite topics, and her picture belongs in my family album. Index cards and teeny tiny sticky notes, they dont sell them here in Chile! Ugh! Anything cute. You know basically better than anyone, so I trust you :) oh, socks. You would be astonished (not really) at how quickly a missionary can get a hole in her socks. So...yeah. They sell them for 2 bucks at Target, I think!

I got an email from Shyla, and seriously could not stop grinning. Made me so happy. And so glad to read about Mitchell's experience at the baptism. I have a great brother!

So as for me this week...I will admit, this week was really tough. I am struggling to keep up with learning the language. It seems that everyone else around me gets it right away, and I am left confused at why tiene is conjugated so oddly.  It has been very frustrating, and at times, I turned to Hermana Mittelsteadt and told her, I am feeling so discouraged. Luckily, my companion is the best missionary in the whole entire CCM, and knows just what to do to lift my spirits. 

Thursday evening, when I felt that I could go no further, we sat down and made a list of goals. Lists are the best ever. EVER. Why survive when you can list? (Ha, see what I did there?) Things to do to focus on the studying, to invite the spirit more, to regain enthusiasm...and then Friday, we put it into effect, and ever since then, we have been happy and singing and working hard at the language. I am so blessed!

Side note. I found out that morder in Espanol means to bite, and I thought of how Essie says MORDUE! I was laughing for about ten minutes. Don't even worry about it.

Something else that I was just craving this week was the companionship of the Spirit. Along with feeling discouraged by the language study, I felt an absence of the Holy Ghost, which was honestly more frustrating than anything. I prayed harder than I ever have to have the companionship of the Spirit, for the gift of discernment, to be guided by the Holy Ghost. I firmly believe that with God, anything is possible. And without him, you can't do much as a missionary. I NEED the spirit. I promised in my prayers that I would act on every prompting from the Spirit once I receive them.

And sometimes, God tests us.

This Sunday was sacrament meeting, and fast and testimony meeting. And as soon as it opened up for testimonies, here comes the prompting. To bear my testimony. In front of everyone. IN SPANISH.

Initial reaction...NO WAY JOSE.

then a few moments later, spanish phrases started forming in my head. Simple phrases, things that I believe in and know are true, came to my mind and I could not deny that it was the Spirit. And I got up there and bore my testimony, in front of Presidente and everyone. Mi español es mas o menos. Pero, mi testimonio es grande y fuerte. Yo se que este Evangelio es verdadero. Yo se que Jose Smith es el primero profeta. Jesucristo es mi Salvadour. Es su salvadour. Es el Salvadour para todos los personas. Yo se que. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen. 

If no one but myself profited from my testimony, I am ok with that. Becuase I promised to act on the promptings of the Spirit, even when theyre hard, even when they are frightening, even when I think that I cannot do it. So long as I am devoted to God, and am devoted to serve him, he will provide a way for me. And that is why I am on a mission.

Something great that a senior missionary couple told us this week is that we live in the Chilean temple square. Seriously! Enserio! We have the temple, the Institute building, the distribution center, the CCM, and a stake center. I love that!

I love Chile, I love this gospel, I LOVE YOU ALL! Thank you for your prayers, I will not waste this time that the Lord has given me! Do what you do!