April 22, 2013

Hello hello!

How is everything?   22 inches of snow??? are you kidding me?????? crazy colorado weather.  well, while you have all been having fun in the snow, Ive been enjoying the nice fall weather here with nice palm trees =).  

OK sorry...i totally forgot to send my new address.  Were in west vina, so it just sends to the pouch mail address for now=

Chile Viña Del Mar Mission

4 Norte 1112

Casilla 631

Viña Del Mar

Chile

Yayyy now you can send me letters.  My mission pretty much rocks at life.  I don't even know where to begin.  Last Monday, we took a spill at the dunes (no i did not break my cocix thank you napoleon dynamite). It was super epic but super cold and i didn't think we'd need sweatshirts. shoot.  it's okay.  we ate lunch.  i sent a picture. 

My companion is swell!  She has been out 13 months I believe, so she goes home kinda soon.  She's a great missionary.  She has a good what i like to call 'missionary stare'.  whenever we contact, she bears a solid testimony and people usually end up changing their mind to letting us come by.  if that makes sense.  its a good thing!

This week...let's see.  Pretty epic.  We contacted a lot, worked with a few members.  My language is good some days and awful other days.  usually at the end of the day, my brain is fried!  I really want to be fluent! i contacted a few people on my own this week too.  chileans are funny.  they talk really fast as i mentioned last week and talk a LOT.  (its kind of nice sometimes because it means that i just nod my head and say 'si' ).  

Went to my first zone conference on wednesday i think.  it was super good and its always refreshing and motivating to see the other missionaries who work super hard.  We have a really good zone.  They emphasized obedience a lot and i remembered that i need to keep in mind an eternal perspective.  I need to always always have the spirit with me.  i think it took a  few days to adjust, but after that, i felt better.  my time is short and theres a lot of work to be done!  

  We had another investigator at church last week named Juan.  He is probably almost 80 and is our mamita's boyfriend.  He is blind, but a very nice man.  (I went up to him last week and tried to shake his hand but he didnt see it.  you can imagine that was awkward because the bishop was sitting right next to me...)  

Milo our ward mission leader really wants to learn english.  hes definitely a stud and  does his job well.  We read the book of mormon with him in english, just the title page, and he did well.  when he said 'scriptures' he always adds  a 'eh' at the beginning of the word.  'escriptures ', (it makes sense because scriptures in spanish is escrituras'.  If theres anyone we can count on, its Milo.  He looks out for us missionaries.

We went on exchanges this weekend.  I went to a place closer to Viña called Reñacait is super uphill.  I was with Hermana Pereira who is training my pal Hermana Zimmerman.  got to see her again and that was awesome!  Hermana Pereira is the sister training leader and doesnt speak english.  shes from paraguay and they speak slower and more clearly.  i learned a lot from her and luckily, i understand a lot of what she told me!

chile is so great.  the people are awesome and love each other.  they all great each other with a hug and kiss on the cheek.  

oh my goodness. so church yesterday, it was sooo cold in the building.  they dont have heaters or insulation here so we stack on the layers at night even if its nice outside.  my companion pointed out that my lips turned blue at church.  we went to the bathroom and yep they were blue! haha.  

oooo yay and for fleas...i wear bugspray to bed. i feel like im camping when i got to bed.  i didnt think fleas were too much of a problem at first, and they werent but then i woke up and got a ton last week.  time for the spray down.  i have 14 bites just on my wrist and probably like 60 altogether.  yuck.  action time.  i sprayed like crazy in our room and put on the fleacollar and everything and layers.  i dont think i got as many last night thank goodness. 

i also decided to not pet any more dogs.  i didnt pet the strays before, but im steering clear of dogs till i get home.  not worth it at all...

we visited with an elderly membr of our ward named hermano rave and picked a few figs from his fig tree.  ill send pictures.  

i hope you{re all doing well.  the ocean and beach are gorgeous here.  have a nice summer!  we experienced some vina winter which wasnt terrible but still cold.  

chao!

love you.

hermana hanks