February 21st, 2011

Happy Monday Afternoon,

How is everyone doing? I hope everything is good and that you are enjoying life. I am doing great here. Not much happened this week. It flew by so fast! Yesterday I was thinking I should have done something to make it more exciting but oh well.

Mom, thanks for the recipe of no bake cookies. I made them last week for the zone and they loved them. All the gringos were excited to have them again and all the Latinos thought they were delicious. And I also gave some to a sister in the ward because it was her birthday. She loved them too, so it was a success.

We did inter cambios this week and Hermana Campos came to my sector and worked for the day. It was fun. She is from El Salvador and is 36 but like all Latinos, they seem younger than they are. I would have guessed she was 25. But I decided that someday I want to go visit her. I have no idea what El Salvador is like so I figured I better go find out. So someday when I'm rich I´ll have to go... haha:)

We found 7 new people to teach this week, but none of them came to church so that was super lame. But 2 of them (husband and wife) are super! They have all sorts of questions and really want to learn. They are on vacations this week but hopefully they will come to church next Sunday and progress. We put a lady with a baptismal date for the 27th of March, she has been investigating the church off and on for 20 years. She likes what we believe but doesn´t want to have to do her part and keep commitments. But hopefully we can help her progress and prepare to get baptized. We have another appt. with her tonight so we will see how everything goes.

This week my testimony was strengthened about the members helping in the work. The family Ñancupil (the husband is our ward mission leader) are super amazing. They brought a young man, well hes 32, to church yesterday who is inactive. And they also brought their friend who knows a lot about the church but is investigating more, so we are going to teach her on Friday. She has a boyfriend in Chicago. They met here on business and he doesn´t speak any Spanish and she doesn´t speak a whole lot of English. But hopefully we can progress with her too. So even though we didn´t do so good with people in the church, the members did their part and it was great. Also the attack we did last week in our sector with all the elders. The only people who got into the houses to teach were the Elders who were on splits with members. So yay, for the members and their help.

Like I said, nothing much exciting happened this week. I wish I had some funny stories to tell, but maybe next week. It seems like something happens everyday but they just start to run together and I forget. But today we had a sports day as a mission, where we get together (in 3 different groups) and play soccer most of the time and then switch it up to basketball and whatever else we can think of. It´s hard to play soccer here with all the Latinos because I feel bad that I am horrible and making them loose. Plus when you´re a sister it´s even harder because you can´t touch them so it´s all sorts of awkard...haha:) Then President May goes around and sees everyone and we played broom hockey, which was the most fun. They (Pres. and Hermana May) get released in July and we just found out today that our next President is Pres Essigs from Logan UT!!!!! Ah!! I´m excited. He is a lawyer and that´s pretty much all we know. I'm sure you know more than we do. I´m not sure if that is how you spell his name. They will get here the end of June and then start in July. It´s going to be so weird to have a different President but we don´t really see him that often so probably not too different.

Hermana Dymock (my comp) just found out her welcome home is going to be May 8th there in Paradise. She is going to be speaking with her best friend who is getting back from her mission the same day. So that will be super fun! I'm  not sure when Hermana Buckners welcome home is going to be but I'm sure they will both do great! It´s sad that the only people I really know in the mission are going to be leaving. But such is life. The way time is flying I´ll be home before I know it. It´s weird that a week from today is the last day of Feb. "Time marches on...time marches on" haha:) Don´t worry, as you can tell I'm still the same, random songs pop in my head that have to do with what I´m talking about. But slowly in the mission I forget songs so it might not last too much longer... haha:)

Ah, I bet Kortney was so pretty for her wedding! She is so fun! and it´s crazy that Ashely is already leaving! Tell her "Hi" for me and that she is going to rock it in the mission field!  I think I would feel weird talking in the Spanish Branch, even in Spanish, because Chileans talk a lot different (so I´ve been told) that their vocab and accent are weird. I would be afraid that they couldn't understand me. It would probably be the same feeling I get here, I'm up at the pulpit talking and I think I'm speaking ok but the look on the peoples faces are so funny. It´s like they are constipated because they are trying to understand what I´m saying through my heavy accent. haha:) So when I get back speaking like a gringa Chilean, them Mexicans will probably have to to the same... haha:)

It seems that no matter how little went on in the week I always write a REALLY long letter. So... how was your week? Is it starting to warm up there? It´s starting to cool down here a little bit. We are only dying of heat from about 12 (when we leave the house) til about 8, then it starts to cool down a lot. The other day I had to use a jacket in the night time. Dramatic I know :) I think it´s mostly because of the temblores(earthquakes) in the South of Chile. People said they felt a little temblore (earthquakes) the other day but we never feel anything in the street walking. So life is good. Hermana Ñancupil said that if anything ever happens we are the first people she is going to come check on. So no worries!

Well, I hope you all have a good week and I would send some pictures but I forgot my cord to send them so I´ll send them next week. But thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! You´re still the best friends and family I could ever ask for! I LOVE YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!

Have a great week!

TE AMO TE AMO TE AMO!!!!

Steph