I'mmmm dreaaminnngg of a Christmasss...where my skinnn doesn't melt off my boooones...
So! Things to say. Firstly, I guess I can now say
that I've had the Chilean experience...the other night, O'Higgins soccer
team won some game that I guess was a big deal. (Sorry, wish I could
tell you what it was, but remember that I'm literally living "in the
world but not of it" right now.) All I know is that we had planned to
meet up with los Elderes outside the church to divide the list of
conversos recientes at 9pm,
and that's exactly when the game ended...and people were pretty dang
psyched.
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| Hermanas Thomas and Kenney |
Cars were passing us with people hanging out the windows
without shirts waving giant flags, shouting and cars constantly
honking...eventually the traffic got pretty clogged up, and it was just a
gigantic mass of cars honking and people shouting and blowing
whistles...and here are these five little Mormon missionaries outside
their cute little church dividing their cute little list of cute little
conversos recientes...it was pretty funny. Some people would walk past
us and shout stuff like "DO YOU GUYS HAVE JOSEPH SMITH?" and then
snicker at their friends like that was some really witty comment, and I
replied, "Nope! He actually just left!" My favorite moment was when a
car sped past us with a bunch of people going crazy, and someone shouted
out the window "LOS MORMONES!!!!!!!" I don't know, it was pretty funny
to me.
Scratch that. My favorite moment was while we were
walking home...amidst all the chaos, this car being driven by a guy in
his nineties slowly lumbers past us, and his wife, equally as ancient,
is blowing on a little plastic horn as hard as her ninety-year-old lungs
can muster. Literally...everyone is a fan here.
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| Neat and tidy! Their study area:-) |
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| HerMama's note: Someone asked me what I packed for McKenna that was overkill--the first thing I thought of was the down comforter with a duvet cover. I didn't want her to be cold because she sleeps best in 90 degree heat and even here in the U.S. with central heat, she gets cold. If I had it to do again, I would be a bit more practical. |
My least favorite moment of the event happened at 2
in the morning, when I was still lying wide awake in my bed due to the
not-even-close-to-ending fiesta that was going on in the plaza next to
us. The cars hadn't even stopped honking.
The other day, we were walking through the plaza,
and this big ol' fat guy shouted at me, "HELLO, BARBIE!"....alright,
sir, if we're going to refer to each other by the toys we resemble, then
nice to meet you, Mr. Potato Head.
Also, it was Friday the Thirteenth the other day...NO ONE DIED. (Just kidding. I'm not superstitious like that.) But, hey...it was Friday
the Thirteenth in the year 2013, and we live on the 13th floor of our
building, in the month of December, which is the twelfth month of the
year, which is almost thirteen......................
Hermana Kenney and I were the victims of some
serious bug bites this week...hers were way worse than mine, but I like
to think we suffered together.
I'm so psyched to be working with Hermana Kenney for the rest of the transfer! Hermana Neira leaves for her home on Wednesday
night, so it will be the four gringos of Cachapoal rockin' it! (The
Elders are also both gringos.) But I'm so excited! Hermana Kenney always
has some awesome ideas to work more effectively and to have success in
every lesson. I've been learning so much from this experience.
Right now we have two investigators con fechas!
(With a baptismal date!) Both of them are for the eleventh of January.
One of our investigators in particular is just the darn cutest person in
the world. Her name is Maria, and she was so excited to hear that she
could be baptized. She said that before we extended the invitation, she
had been hoping that we would offer it. She can't read small letters,
and a cute member bought her a HUGE Libro de Mormón, and she's been
reading it without us assigning things to read. She's been praying, too.
She went to church with us the other day, and I was a little nervous
because of my last experience with an investigator in Sacrament Meeting
(the investigator that dropped us right after it ended...she didn't like
all the noise of the kids...remember?) Anyway, afterwards, I went up to
Maria and asked what she thought, and I was surprised to see tears in
her eyes. She started speaking really fast and quietly, but from what I
could understand, she absolutely loved it, and she was saying how
grateful she was that we had found her. She told another member that day
that she'd been talking to everyone she knows, saying how these "three
little missionaries" are changing her life. I just absolutely love her.
She's the darn cutest lady ever.
Tomorrow
is exactly five months in the mission for me! Five months ago today, I
boarded the plane and took off for the Mexico MTC! Honestly, I can't
believe how much my life has changed compared to a year ago, or two
years ago, or really...two months ago! I'm here trying to change
people's lives, but in reality, the mission is changing mine. I can't
even begin to describe how thankful I am for this time I have to learn
and to grow directly under the guidance of our Heavenly Father.
I know the gospel is true with all my heart! I
really do. I see a miracle every day, even though they are usually
small! We had a few less-than-great lessons this week, but every good
lesson makes up for fifty "bad" ones! And it's because the spirit is so
strong! I can feel it in my chest...my heart beats a little faster, and
it's like my body has more blood in it all the sudden, and I just want
to sit there and feel this feeling for a few more hours! And it's not a
coincidence that every time I hear/share the first vision, I feel this
feeling. This is the truth. We've got it, right here in our hands. Go
share it!
I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. I PRAY FOR YOU ALL THE TIME.
MERRY CHRISTMAS MERRY CHRISTMAS MERRY CHRISTMAS A THOUSAND TIMES OVER.
And enjoy the cold for me. (I never thought I'd say that in my life.)
LOOOOOOOOOOOVE, Hermana Thomas
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DADDY TOMORROW!
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