November 22, 2010

Hola!

How are things going for ya´ll? It´s crazy to think that its snowing there! I keep getting sunburned and sweating to death haha but you can rub it in my face later when I´m freezing my butt off and you are all hot. Thats too bad you didn´t get to go to Boise but I guess you still have 2 years haha. How is everything else? Tell Ashley congrats on her call! That is so exciting! Thanks for the package. just a little FYI for next time they changed our address a little to a PO Box deal because the mail place gets mad that we have so many packages so from now on you can just send stuff to:

Sister Stephanie Whyte
Chile Santiago North Missioin
Forestal 2680
Oficina 32, Piso 3
Casilla 18
Conchali, Santiago
CHILE

and the reason they have you send it as cheap and slow as possible is because if you don´t it gets stuck in customs and they make you pay like 50 dollars to get it out. But ya everything here is good. I´m getting more and more comfortable with spanish and so I can at least understand people most of the time even if I don´t know what to say back haha. Carolina is getting baptized next Sunday so that is super exciting, her parents are members but they had been inactive for a while but now they are going to church and not smoking or drinking coffee so its awesome. I´ll send some pictures next time :) We also found another baptizm for Dec 5 but it probably won´t happen, Katy, she is a friend of the bishops daughter and really wants to be a member and her mom gave her permission but her dad is schizophrenic and tells her yes one time and is totally against it the next. Plus they have a family thing every Sunday and wont let her miss it to come to church...therefore, who knows what will happen. And then Sandali who has a bap date of the 5th tambian didn´t come to church- she slept in (its really hard for people to come to church because they say its too early (10:00) so we loose a lot of people that way) but we just have to remind them how important it is. But I think she will come through and make it for the 5th.

This week we had a conference with Elder Corbridge from the Chile area Presidency and it was really good. The problem was it was in Spanish so I didn´t understand some of it but from what I know it was good haha I like that he said the presence of Christ in this life is the Holy Ghost. Yesterday he came to our Stake Conference and I liked that he said ¿Can you imagine what it would be like to go through the Temple with the Prophet and all the Apostles? You can because its the same as every other time. This isn´t a church of leaders its The Church of Jesus Christ of Members of the Latter-Days. I hope that makes sense in English but it was really good.

On Fri I had my phase 1 training in the mission home and learned a little more so it was good and we also found a lady who lives with her Mom and her sister was there. We taught them and they liked our church, the first thing the sister said was ¨baptize me¨ haha... every Missionaries dream but she is not in our sector, she lives in a totally different zone but it was super cool. They said they are too busy during the week but we are teaching them all again next Sunday.

Something exciting is we got an oven!!! Brand new...super sweet! We havent used it yet because we have to buy some gas but we are excited to make some cookies or something. Our apt is going to be the nicest apt in the mission I think because we got an electric water heater and our land lord came up and said he will fix the walls that are broken. He said it was fine for men but ladies need a nice place to live haha whatever it takes  I guess:) The Bishop and his wife invited us over for Christmas so we will probably do that, they are super nice (she is the one who does our laundry) and so at least we have something to do (that is if I don´t get transfered)

What are all your plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas? I¨m sure everything is super busy and it´s hard to even have time to think about it but HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We kind of got a pumpkin pie thing at the Mission Conference with Elder Corbridge, it was a crust thing with a tiny little bit of pumpkin filling and had cool whip on top... it was a good Thanksgiving meal :) Oh I drank the most discusting thing yesterday, it was this juice stuff, I have no idea where it came from but did not taste good and then they soak little peaches in it and then they put it in your cup with some barley but in ours it wasn´t really barley they said it was just some stuff that falls off their tree haha it was discusting but I did get it down and lived to tell about it... haha:) It was our reward of thanks for helping their grandson with his English homework haha. Life is good though. It´s great because the members take such good care of you all the time, they haven´t had sisters in a long time so they are super excited and want to make sure we stay. I¨m slowly getting used to their 3 or 4 course lunches haha the other day the nicest old couple fed us but it didn´t settle right and we were teaching a lady we contacted but I HAD to go to the bathroom so I asked her and she said no so I just kept praying so so hard that I wouldn´t crap my dress right there on her chair haha and she couldn´t make up her mind about when we could come back and my comp was trying not to laugh because I looked like I was going to die but we got out of there and there was a member outside her house a few houses down, so she let me use her bathroom and like always here there is never any toilet paper so finally after searching the place I decided to just man up and go...low and behold there was no way to flush the toilet haha just my luck I know.. I looked forever and just walked out and asked her she said sorry the toilet doesn´t work very well but I´ll figure out a way... oh man I felt so bad.. I have no idea how she ¨figured it out¨ she is a saint. I¨m sure God has a place in heaven for here :)

Sorry I always just talk about myself... I want to hear about yall! :) What is new? Has the weather been pretty bad or comes and goes? Annie, are you liking your play, who is your character, and I´m sure you are super super excited to graduate in like a month PARTY!!!!! Mom, have you been working full time, part time or a little of both? Dad, are you still running all over the country with windshieds or stay a little closer? Liz, did you decide to babysit next semester? Keith and Amber, are you keepin busy with work, how are the boys?

Sister Sarah Buckner (my trainer) her parents phone number is

801 566 4795  and their names are Jeff and Elaine, they live in West Jordan UT. 801 366 0105 is her dads work, and 801 913 3784 is her moms cell because she said they are never home. laneygirl94@yahoo.com is her moms email too.

 She only has like five months left but we are getting along really well and hope we stay together for at least one more transfer. She said she kind of knew Craig just through the ambassador thing but there were a lot so he prob wont know her.

Sorry I don´t have any pictures to send this week, I didn´t take any but next week I´ll send some from the baptizm and from something else we do today, I´m not quite sure what we are doing but  Hermana and I decided this transfer since we are super close to town we will do a lot of tourist things so I´m excited.

Ya we walk everywhere, our sector is super super small so its not far at all and plus its in the city so there are houses and people everywhere. I found out a little more where we are at, We are in Recoleta, which is just north of Santiago, a lot of the people there still work in Santiago because it´s only about a 20 min on the metro. It´s  more ghetto than the city and more trashy but I like it. Everyone in the mission walks unless you are super in the country then you have bikes but you also take buses a lot. I hope sometime or another I¨ll serve in the country, that is where Hermana Buckner just came from and she loved it. Our area has been good for success and so I feel blessed.

Thank you for all your prayers and your support. I have the best family in the world!!! I¨m great so don´t worry about me, a lot of times it doesn´t feel like we are across the world from each other I seriously feel like I´m in Mexico or somewhere a little closer so it´s kinda nice :) oh ya Mom, I like how you just slipped in your line about Mexico in the e-mail...hoping I wouldn´t really notice haha just kidding but that is super exciting! It will be nice to get some warmth in and get away for a while. Do you know what your going to do? Is anyone going with you like Cliff or anyone? Tell everyone there 'Hi' for me and tell them next time I come I will be able to communicate with them better...hopefully... haha

Thank you again for everything!!! Hopfully I haven´t put you to sleep with this SUPER long e-mail (they say super here a lot, its pretty funny) but have a good week and a great Thanksgiving!
TE AMO TE AMO TE AMO!
Siempre,
Steph