Sorry, I just have a lot of love and not a long of time to express it.
SO.
Rancagua. Cachopoal. Wow. Super different from La Florida! Yeah,
there's a lot more people here...it makes contacting a bit harder in the
streets, because people are seriously from everywhere in Chile! We
contacted someone who lives in Antofagasta! They didn't want to talk
much, but if they had, we couldn't have taught them anyway...maybe I
could have passed it along to Kristen... :)
It's really awesome here. I'm living with my
companion, Hermana Castañeda, and two other hermanas: Hermana Kenny, who
is a gringa with 8 months in the mission....she's my inspiration right
now, she speaks spanish super well! Her companion is Hermana Neida from
Columbia. (I'm getting the parrot thing.) She's so sweet! She's super
little, but she's a fireball! Why are all little people fireballs?
Anyway, it's her last cambio in the mission, so she's working super hard
to make it count!
We are super close to the oficinas, so yes, mom, I
will be able to get my Christmas package as soon as it arrives in
Rancagua! Wahoo!! Stoked about that.
We live in
an apartment that is pretty nice...IT HAS A WASHER. WE HAVE THE ABILITY
TO WASH OUR OWN CLOTHES IN OUR OWN CASA. It's the little things, guys.
Something that is different between Talca and
Rancagua...in Talca, we contacted a lot, but almost every house had
someone at the door to talk to. Here...I think we've contacted most of
the week, and I could probably count on a hand and a half how many
people have opened their doors. So...if we can't contact on the street,
and people won't open their doors...hmm. Whatever...I'm just starting to
get worried about your salvation and stuff.
The people of Chile REALLY LOVE to give us things!
The other day, one of the people we contacted let us into her house, and
in the middle of us talking, she just got up and left the room. We were
a little nervous as we waited for her to return from her super abrupt
departure, but she came back a minute later with a beautiful bracelet
for each of us and cookies! I tried to say that we couldn't just take
her bracelet, but she seemed a little offended by this, so I took it.
It's really pretty. Also, the cookies are super delicious with Nutella.
Another menos activo gave me some really beautiful earrings! This is
something really characteristic of the people here. They really love to
give things.
I've been getting used the people we're working
with, including los menos activos! The other day, we had a lesson with a
sister menos activo. She's 48 years old, and she has the energy of a
five year old. At first it was really shocking, because...I can't even
describe this to you. She was sitting then standing then jumping then
walking on stilts then writing on the walls and talk talk talking and by
the way I'm not kidding about the stilts or the writing on the walls
thing. And she kept calling her dog "My Little Dog Child." I almost just
started laughing hysterically, because I literally didn't have another
reaction to this scene. Luckily, I mustured up some self-control and
kept my silence.
We also met an 87 year old woman named Sarah. She
let us sit with her on her front porch, and we listened to her talk for a
while. She was being taught by the missionaries ten years ago with her
husband, but after a few lessons, he decided he didn't want the elders
to visit any more. Well, he passed away five years ago, and she was more
than happy to listen again. She told us a lot about her life, like how
she met her husband, and how one day she just announced to her family
that she was getting married in a month, even though none of them had
the slightest idea that she had been dating anyone at all. She also told
us that literally everyone in her life, other than her children and a
few cousins, had passed away, and she was just waiting for her turn.
Obviously, we turned to the Plan of Salvation. We told her that she's
going to see all these people again, and they're going to be waiting for
her on the other side of the veil. When we said that, I saw her eyes
light up. "Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire," she said. "Nunca he sabido.
Miiiiiiire." She said she'd like to be with her husband again. It was
really a beautiful moment. It was the first time that I've told someone
that they can see their family after this life and they've been
surprised by the news. Usually people say, "yeah, I know." NO, you
don't. FAMILIES ARE ETERNAL. Even I can't wrap my head around that
sometimes.
I don't know what will happen with her, though. My
companion isn't all that jazzed about visiting her again, not really
sure why...
I'm going to learn a LOT THIS CAMBIO. I've decided that I'm just not
going to be negative about it. Nope. I'm going to make this a learning
experience. I'm going to have an attitude like Ammon...when adversity
came, instead of feeling like it was an impossible task, he saw it as an
opportunity to prove his faith.
But just so everyone knows...if you ask God with all your heart to help you change yourself, you've literally asked for it.
EVERYONE. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH. PLEASE keep
praying and reading the book of mormon and watching messages from the
prophet and living the way you should and writing me letters because I
absolutely love hearing from you all.
HERE GOES WEEK TWO IN RANCAGUA! WAHOO!!
Love, Hermana Thomas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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