Howdy! or something. I´m kind of lacking in the subject title today. Fasting French Toast? Yeah.‏

Los Cantaros, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

February (you can´t imagine how difficult it was to spell that month just now) 8th, 2010

 

Why hello! So there were changes and there weren´t. Only 2 missionaries in the entire zone got changes, so that was crazy and unexpected. It´s pretty exciting though, because things are really picking up here in Los Cantaros. We´re teaching some awesome people, and they´re starting to progress, and we are going to have noches de hogares with the families in the ward and them this week (they accepted! Yea!), so I´m very excited. We found this fantastic mother and son last week, and I´ll have to tell you all about them later. It´s so cool!!!

 

But another story, Ya´ll remember the story about the guatita? or in other words, stomach, that I ate? Well, it´s starting to make a difference. We visited them this week, once just the hno and su hija because the hna was sick, ad then the hna for just a bit. They compromised to come to church this week, but as church is VERY far away and begins at 8:30 am, they have the unhappy knack of sleeping in. -But they didn´t want us to stop by to pick them up either. So, stealing the idea from other missionaries we decided to make and bring them breakfast and then go TOGETHER to the church. So we called them Sat. night and told them that to thank them for the lunch, we wanted to bring them breakfast on Sunday before church. We said we could come over at 7:40, and the hno just about had a hard attack (súper flojera), but who can deny a free breakfast when someone wants to BRING it to you? ;) and so happily? Yeah. Exactly. So! On the way home we bought some stuff and began to cook for the next day. We cut and peeled peaches, and I made syrup that night, so that the next day we only had to do the french toast. Because it takes 40 minutes to enter our sector from where we live, so we did as much as we could the night before. Oh, and in Chile we fast from lunch to lunch, so it was pretty funny making the food. There was a whole lot of smelling going on there. ;) It SMELLS perfect. or SMELLS like it´s lacking sugar. hehehe. ;) So we ran around putting it together, and ran over to their house practically, although it was hard with the syrup) and it worked halfway. The hno was up in his shirt and tie waiting for us, which was a miracle, since he hasn´t gone for over 10 years. His wife Ana (nonmember) whom we have had even more contact with, was feeling sick again and was in bed. But! we left her a note on the breakfast, and left with the hno. Along the way you could tell he was really nervous to be returning, and kept saying how far away it was and how early too. But he was just looking for excuses. He also talked about the callings he had had and the members of the ward. He was excited, he just had to pretend to put up a fight. When we walked in church had already began (we had to wait for him and the micro a bit) but the ward was AWESOME. It was so wonderful to see the support and welcome that they gave him (he was super active before). He was happy as a clam and it was oh-so-worth-it. The stake pres. is in our ward, and they were friends before, and we talked to him, and we are going to combine their families for a family night this week. So that was really special to see.

     We went over to visit the part member family last week with the rooster named Precioso, and you might be interested to know that he had a problem with his ears apparently, but they gave him some drops, and he seems to be doing better now. ;) oh. my. hannah. Somehow it never stops marvelling me.

     Last week the zone leaders from Cordillera called me to ask if I could come and sing in a cuartet and in the choir for a musical devotional that they were doing for the stake. I got permission, and last night we performed ¨Our Saviours Love¨ acapella with Elder Killian, Wassom, Hna Talbot, and I. While other groups were singing we were sitting with a menos actva, recently reactivated family from Los Cantaros. A mom with her 4 little girls, and it was pretty funny trying to keep them entertained drawing the whole time. I felt like an aunt nursery teacher for a while there with my encouragement and tricks to keep them drawing. ¨Oh, but you haven´t drawn-colored this part yet¨, and ¨oh! can you draw me a happy face? a flower?¨ etc. you get the picture. Pretty exciting. ;) Also, I got to see Juana and a lot of other ward members from there which was so fantastic. You just really fall so much in love with the poeple. I imagine heaven will be something like that.

     Hna Talbot had changes, and left the pension this morning, which was crazy because we´ve been, or at least lived, together for so long. 6 months nearly. woa!

 

Thankfulness

1. That all you have to do is add a tablespoon of lemon to 1 cup of milk to turn it into buttermilk! Amazing! I love it!

2. Clean houses. ahhh...... we did a deep clean this morning

3. welcoming ward members

4. running! I´ve been getting up a bit early to go running w. Hna Alegre 3 days a week and I love it!

5. new agendas! Okay, so it´s kind of a pain to transfer all of your information, but its such a wonderful, fresh start! So brisk and clean!

 

Love you mucho!!

 

HerManda :)

Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, DON´T go astray...‏

I always loved the emphasis the primary kids put on ¨don´t.¨ Very auditorially (is that right? It´s the way you hear things) impactful. Are you hearing it? ... Good.

 

Los Cantaros, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

February 1st, 2010 (woap, still blitzing on the year. Had to fix that one.)

 

February! Well happy month! Short, but good. Like my companion. ;) Well, you may be wondering about the title. Here it is. NEW email address!

 

amanda.whetten@myldsmail.net

 

So the missionary dept hooked up with google to create a GOOD missionary email for missionaries and the prophet said no others. So! Please email me at the address above and NOT at this address. Henceforth and forever. Amen.

 

Alright! So! New subject line. Guatita en mi guatita.

 

For those of you unfamiliar with Chilean I just wrote stomach in my stomach. No. I´m not confused. I ate it. Guatita. O sea, stomach. I took pictures, but I forgot the cord, so you´ll just have to imagine it for now. So many weeks ago we were walking down the street and I contacted this man, who turned out to be menos activo. We asked for his address, but it was really close so we just walked over and he showed us. We asked if we could share something, but his wife was er... less than happy to see us per say, especially because they had guests and were barbequeing (oh my gosh, I don´t remember. But you know what I´m trying to say.)  and he told us that it was normal, and to come back another day. She was not very fond of missionaries. So we did, and the wife told us he wasn´t there, but in a nicer way, and told us when we could come back. Passed by again and ran into the daughter and the wife, who were much nicer this time, and we were able to talk a bit, but they were sick, and asked us if we could come back later. After that, the Elders passed by when the hno was there and were able to share more with them. The next time we passed, it was great and we were able to go in and share. The hno was super active, and the wife would read all the Liahonas, but when their 12 yr old son died 10 years ago they aparted from the church. Well, he did. She was never a member, although the kids were. When during the course of the conversation they asked me about the Chilean food I had and had not eaten. It came up that I had not ever had guatita in my year of Chileanism, which is one of their favorite foods, and they invited us over to eat it. Considering everything, and how hard it had been to gain their trust, I accepted. We went by early in the week to do a lightning visit as we call them, with just the mom and less active daughter, and then had... GUATITAS. It actually wasn´t that bad. It kind of looked like pasta on the daughter´s plate, and for a split second I thought, aha! No guatita! She decided not to make it! But then when I got my own plate it was more than clear. With bumps all over it, and cut in all sorts of crazy shapes. I think having taken anatomy was DEFINATELY at a disadvantage that day. The flavor, with the sauce and vegetables she used, was shockingly good. But! The texture, look, and pure knowledge was hard to swallow. Everyone with clean hands put your first finger gently on your tongue and rub it around a bit. That is the texture. It´s REALLY chewey and it´s like you´ll never chew it enough, so you just chew it less and swallow. I just had to tell myself, this is not stomach, and everything I´m looking at does NOT have a function in the digestive process. It was thrilling to say the least. They loved it and had seconds. All in all, I´m glad I had the experience, and she really is a good cook, and the flavor was good. It was with home-made french fries and salad with watermelon at the end. And surprisingly, it was made with love. But what was better was that after we got to teach about the plan of salvation, and she cried, I got a little teary, and we were able to find out her doubts about the church, etc. It was an awesome opportunity, and we got to share more with them yesterday, and they are both going to go to church this week. So it was worth it, although my stomach definately knew there was a stomach inside it. hahahaha.

 

Moving on - we have an awesome investigator that we´re teaching right now, Tabatha, who is the girlfriend of a less active, and we got them both to church yesterday, and she LOVED it. It was awesome! She wants to get baptized, but we just found out that she was married before (she has a little boy, which we knew, but we thought they weren´t married before) so we´re going to be working and setting goals with the law of chastity this week. Woohoo! I never knew I´d be so very accustomed to teaching that commandment. Not to mention that we had to teach it nearly every day to our investigators in La Dehesa. But it´s good, and I´ve developed quite a love and testimony for it. I was thinking about making a song about it, but I thought that´d be a little much. Not really about it, just about the process of a missionary teaching it. I was SOOO embarrassed to teach it in the MTC, and now I find myself teaching it not at every turn, but almost. ;) Did you know that until a few years ago it was IMPOSSIBLE, legally to get a divorce in Chile? Man, it´s a good thing no one pulled a Henry the VIII. It is still hard now, but NOT impossible. So we´re excited for her and anxious for things to work out. She´s been separated for a long time, but has not reached to have a divorce.

 

 The family we were teaching did not go yesterday because of work, but we´re going to try to get them progressing again this week. They REALLY need to apply the gospel in their lives!! It will help them so much! I mean, this is of course true with all people, in all places, because even when we have the gospel we don´t always apply it very well. But I just KNOW that WHATEVER the problem is, the gospel has the answer! Because God IS our Heavenly Father, and He loves us. He has NOT left us alone. If we search diligently, he will be there. We will find that the answer to our problems was there all along. It is a promise from God. The problem is that we get so wrapped up in our problems that we think we don´t have time for the gospel. Or we tried it already and didn´t work. But that is never the case. Whatever the problem, we can receive the help and guidance that we seek if we search and apply His words. 

 

Thankfulness:

1. Repentance! (We were reading Alma 36 the other day with this young man that we´re teaching, who of course has had a lot of problems in his life, and he asked me if I had felt that joy of forgiveness in my life before. I HAVE felt that joy before, and it is immense. It was such a wonderful opportunity to show him what he could get and feel in his life. What good the expiación could do in his life. What a precious, priceless gift we have been given from our Heavenly Father and Saviour. The chance to repent and feel that joy!! It is open for EVERYONE! Sorry, tangent. ;) hehe)

2. Eating lunch with the Elders! Not only are they good elders, but I can sneakily give them my extra food or meat without having to hide it. ;) Big bonus there. No, they did not go to the guatita lunch, and I did not hide it. I felt it was my duty. And it really wasn´t that bad. I just don´t want to repeat it again soon. Or maybe ever. ;)

3. Sunscreen! Have I said that before? because it is true.

4. Exercising! Now that I´m better, I can do my super fun, exhilarating exercises in the morning. I even got up early and went running with Hna Alegre!

5. Being a missionary!

6. My testimony!

7. Yoghurt in my cereal!

 

Sorry, a little tangenty today on everything, but that´s what throws spice into life, right? Right.

 

Love you all, take care!!

 

HerManda

Wierd. I Tell You What. Weird.

Los Cantaros, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

January 25, 2010

 

Well, hello again!! So I´ll tell you what is weird. 2 weeks ago there was a snake on my desk. No, not the *hiss, hiss* kind, but practically. I was kind of avoiding telling you, but as this also serves as my journal (i know, I do write in my journal too, but sometimes there´s just not enough time to write it all, and I definitely haven´t written about the snake ;) So every Tuesday morning we have zone-district meeting and get our mail, then go home to drop off our stuff and study. All that was hunky-dorey (wow, have any of you actually tried to write that down? I think that is my first attempt, and I´m hoping you´re reading phonetically, because I don´t know HOW to write that. Not to mention that in general my English has degenerated. But I digress. ) I walked into our study room, and on my desk was something that said:

¨ Amanda Kristeen Whetten, siervo fiel de los United States¨

Okay. That was weird. My full name? And what is with the United States? Is this some sort of joke? It had been sent to Cordillera (old zone) and so Hna Talbot brought it home and left it for me. Slightly confused, I nonchalantly (yes, the english again) open it up, where it has the mission seal and it says, ¨these are your trunky papers¨, and asks me to fill out certain information. Yack!!!! Yes, shock, disbelief, and protests filled the air. Insanity. I tell you what. And that was the serpent. So I slightly tossed it out of sight and mind, until last Monday when I had to search (okay, maybe it was more than a slight toss ;) to find it in order to fill it out because I had to turn it in on Tuesday at zone class. So I filled it out, and HONESTLY forgot to bring it to class on Tuesday. We were just finishing a cita when someone called and I answered and it was Hna Day, secretary of the mission, and she was asking if I had gotten my papers etc. Oops. Yeah. Embarrasment. She verified the day, and I said, There´s not another option? Because I had heard that some other hna´s before got to choose between 2 dates. On the paper it said May 4th, and I wanted to know about June 13th (the next change day), because I technically finish on May 19th. She said, well, its either a week and a half early or 27 days late, and we decided to send all the hna´s who came together at that time - May. So I asked her if there was an option, she said she wasn´t sure, but if I felt I should I could call her back. Maybe it´s little Jamesies prayers or something, but even though I wanted to ask to stay longer, I felt that I should just go with what was written. I know the story of Martin Harris. Don´t try the Lord. So yeah, that´s the news for you fam. Crazy and scary, but luckily I can just forget about it now, since I sent in the papers today. 

 

The news about the family of last week continues in the letter, but it´s in spanish. sorry! Little funny thing, we visited a part member family last week and a rooster crowed, which was interesting enough in Santiago, but then the hna says, ¨oh precious. Regalón...¨(which means something like little, spoiled one) A bit confused about how her rooster could be her regalón I asked her about it, and she brought him in carrying him in her arms, and carressing him like he was a new little puppy and not some old, fat, white rooster. His name is precious, and then she tried to have him do tricks for us, etc. It was without a doubt one of the weirdest things I´ve seen in all my life. He is like their baby. They also have cats, but she got so angry that they were inside, and kicked them out multiple times. All who know me know I´m not a cat person, but I was boggled that the cats were angrily thrown out and the big fat rooster was coddled and babied. We visited them again yesterday and they did the same thing. Woa. weird.

 

I love, love being a missionary. It truly is the greatest thing in the world to work juntos with the Lord 24-7 for the salvation of souls. We are in a battle with Satan everyday and I rejoice to be chosen to be on the Lo´rd´s force and to get to proclaim His glory and His restored gospel. i love you all so much and pray for you!

 

Thankfulness:

1. The miracles the Lord works!

2. My loved ones

3. music

4. Yoghurt (it is SOO good here!)

5. sun block! It is SOOO my friend. ;)

 

     Esta semana ha sido muy buena, con dificultades y milagros. Hubo un milagro del Señor especial, de esta familia que encontramos 2 semanas atras, de quienes hablé la semana pasada. Fueron a la iglesia ayer, pero fue un milagro. Son tan buenas, pero sus hijas tienen muchos problemas, como ataques de gritar y llorar, etc. y es súper complicado para la familia. Están iendo a psicólogo y neurologo, pero nada ha pasado todavía. Especialmente la mamá no puede sobrellevarlo. Empezó hace un año más o menos, y pasa cuando algo cambia, o tiene ansiedad, o tienen que esperar algo. No sé, es loco, pero de verdad es un desafío gigante para esta familia. Hasta que cuando nosotras tuvimos una cita para la noche de hogar al esperar (no llegamos tarde), antes de que lleguemos empezaron a gritar y la hija tenía su ataque o algo, y la mamá se desmayó. Ahora ella tambien esta viendo un neurologo y querían arreglar las cosas antes de que nos reciban otra vez. Les gusta mucho a escuchar del evangelio, etc. pero quieren evitar cualquier cosa que puede causar una reacción así. No obstante, no perdimos la esperanza, y tuvieron otros problemas de nuevo, y aceptaron de venir a la iglesia, gracias al miembro hna que vive al lado, mucha oración, y ayuno. La iglesia fue fantástica y el barrio los recibió muy bien. La mamá recibió una bendicion de salud del obispo y vamos a ir hoy día con el lìder misional para bendecir a su casa. Esperamos que acepten de recibirnos más esta semana. Es que son tan buenos que sé que Satanás está trabajando mucho en ellos para impedirles de recibir el evangelio. Vamos a hacer todo lo posible por ayudarles y ayudarles a ganar esta batalla. Mi compañera es muy buena, y fue muy bueno para ella tambien que ellos vinieron ayer a la iglesia. Se desanime muy fácilmente, pero siempre estoy tratando de animarla y ayudarla de ver el lado bueno. Es muy buena, de verdad, y estoy agradecida para ella y su ejemplo.  

 

Love you mucho!!!!

 

love,

       HerManda

Did someone say cold? hahahahaha! S-U-M-M-E-R here!‏

18 de enero de 2010

Los Cantaros, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

 

Whoohoo! So sorry for writing so late. We got to internet late, and it was closed, so we are passing by at the end of pday and then to head out to the sector. Yesterday were the elections for Chile - again. And like last time, we could only have Sacrament meeting yesterday - combined with another ward. It{s crazy here, because I don{t know if I told you already, but if you a inscribed, er, registered to vote you HAVE to vote. No buts about it. If not, you have to pay a HUGE ticket. So, it{s pretty interesting, and once again, kills a bit of the patriotic fervor out of it, but still, it{s amazing how far Chile has come from a military government just 30 years ago. The elections are really FACE oriented. Whereas in the states, the littler leaders, mayor, schoolboard, etc. put their faces on their boards, the more popular ones like President and senator just have their names. Here the have their faces EVERYWHERE. EVERYONE. In a wide variety of facial expressions. They also have ¨party trucks¨ persay, where they have this big truck blasting music with a bunch of girls jamming out if you will, wearing their candidates t-shirt, with his name everywhere. Pretty crazy. So yesterday Piñera won. He is apparently from the right, and there were quite a few people upset, and quite a few people happy yesterday, so there ya go. Based on my wide expanse of information (aka nothing) he was my candidate. Hahaha. The other guy just looked a little creepy in his photos. Really, I know nothing about anyone, but that when there are elections, it is harder to get people to church. And church itself is WAY short.

 

We are teaching this incredible family of 3 right now, and I have put a lot of hope in them. They are fantastic, and in the first lesson while getting to know them a little bit, they talked about their wedding, and how it was so beautiful (like 20 years ago) and how people who went are still talking about it and asking them if they are going to get married again. Yes! PERFECT moment to talk about temple marraige and the possibility that they CAN get married again, but with the authority of God, so that they can be together FOREVER with their children. They loved it, and their was such a happy, little spark in their eyes. Then we taught L1, pointed to baptism and eternal families. It was really neat, and they are the neighbors of a ward member, who accompanied us, so it was great to have her testimony and support - even though her husband is not a member. Apparently they were investigating the church YEARS ago, and she would even go to the homemaking classes, and her daughter sang in some sort of reunion, but Marco, the husband, was not very interested and never read the book of mormon or did anything to find out it was true. They seemed anxious during the lesson to know for themselves that it was all true. They couldn{t come to church last week because they had to vote in comunas really far away, but they seemed animated to be able to go this week, and the hna is going to take them. Tomorrow we have a family night with them, with the hna and our ward mission leader (fresh from the mission), so pray so that all goes well, and that they can go to church this week and be baptized soon! They really are fantastic. Familia Roa Parra. We are also teaching some other wonderful people, 3 others of which have gotten their answers already, so we just have to help them to take the next steps. Doesn{t really help that so many are going on vacation right now. But they will make it! Our God is most DEFINATELY a God of miracles, of which I have been blessed to see many. Hurrah for Israel! :)

 

Well, I love you sooooo much, and hope that you are all well and happy. I´m very sad to hear about the passing of Aunt Joyce, and can{t hardly believe it. You just don{t think life will change like that while you are gone. I am so grateful for her and her good, loving, joyful, and grateful example. She is a gem, and I am so grateful to know about the plan after death. Know that you will all be in my prayers. There must be some sort of special work going on beyond the veil.

 

Love you!!!

 

Thankfulness:

1. The Plan of Salvation

2. To be a missionary! Isn´t it so great? The salvation of souls!

 

Love,

 

HerManda

... one by one, hurrah! hurrah!‏

Jan 11, 2010

Los Cantaros, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

Well hello! How are you all doing? Did you have a lindo new year?

Things are going great here in Chile and Los Cantaros. My companion and I get along very well, albeit that we get eceptionally strange looks as we walk down the street together. She is a very short, dark-skinned Peruvian, and I´m this tall, white gringa. It´s fantastic. We have been finding quite a bit of people, but unfortunately, slews of them left for vacations last week. Blast! But there are still a few left in town, so that is good. We didn´t have any investigators in church yesterday. SAD! but we did have some menos activos thawe were visiting and hadn´t been to church in years come in, so that was exciting. I had to give a talk in church, and they told me Sat night, and planning went longer than normal and there wasn´t time, so I was going to get up early and then the alarm didn´t go off! I don´t know what happened. I mean, I still got up a 1-2 hour earlier than the schedule, but whoo! Good thing it was on the first vision, which we talk about, well, all the time.  

After much thought and meditation I have figured out the source of all of Chile´s problems. It´s dehydration. No one drinks water. No one. Ever. Not one. No. No, it´s not because the water is bad, they just drink soda. All day. Everyday. And I can´t even tell you how many little toddlers are walking around with their bottle full of - yep. Coca-cola. ;) The other day while we were walking I started laughing to myself, and my companion looks at me like, okay, what´s the joke this time, so I told her that I had discovered the source of well.. first we had to have a mini discussion about how to say the word dehydrated, and THEN I told her. ;) On these blazing summer days (without ozones), if we ask for water, they say ¨oh yes!¨ And bring us coke. If we´re lucky they say as they´re on their way. ¨But I have bebida (soda)¨, and we interject, ¨no gracias, water mejor, since it´s so hot outside?¨ They give us an ¨are you sure?¨ We confirm, and then we get juice. ;) hahaha. It´s pretty funny. ;) On one of these occasions yesterday, I was drinking and noticed this black ant in the juice, and it was pretty funny trying to teach and drink without guzzling him down. Not that it would have been so bad, but I wasn´t really in the mood to drink ant at that time. He would always keep going towards my mouth, so I would nonchalantly (wow, can I just say for the record how much I DON´T remember how to spell things? ;) ) turn the cup without her noticing. A lot. Finally, about 15-20 min later when we were winding down, he got stuck on one side and I could drink it all. But then, to my surprise, after a few minutes he started moving! And little by little he started crawling up the cup leaving behind this huge trail of juice. I was impressed. He looked dead, dead, dead. Like all of the Romanovs. ;) I thought I needed to take something from his example, like maybe there was some deep analogy in it all, and I´m sure there is, but I just haven´t taken the time to expound it yet. Other than that exceptional little pesky ant, we have been killing them by the droves. We go through a lot of ant poison and our constantly spraying, powdering, and vacuuming them up. They come in EVERY hole that they can possibly find in the house. I personally think that they have been living in the walls all winter long since we can not find one single line outside. We live cleanly, but last summer was not quite the case. They covered EVERYTHING. I kid you not. Everything they ate they had to wash first to clean off all of the ants and put their toothbrushes in bags to protect themselves. They did not believe in killing ants.What´s more is that they would leave chocolate and other food on the floor FOR the ants. So, that is why I think that even with all we do they are so diligent. 1. They had enough food piled up that they just lived in the walls all winter or 2. The houses reputation preceeds us. ;)

Anyway, sorry to go so long on about water and ants, but as my journal and things are always filled with the important stuff, I thout we´d go on a little life tangent. I´m pretty sure that´s some sort of sin, as I look back on what I wrote. But details are not wholly unimportant, right?

Thankfulness:

1. Laughter. Who said it was milk that does a body good? It´s laughter. :) Although milk is not to be denied as a good source of calcium. ;)

2. Sunscreen! That really saved my bacon. And wow,  missed a little spot the other day, and boy, that stuff works. :)

Love you!

HerManda :)

hello 2010!‏

Los cantaros, Puente Alto, santiago, chile

january 4, 2010

 

what?! 2010. what in the weird? (as Ryan used to say oh-so-long-ago and it was a sticker) Yeah! i went to write in my journal soon after the big move, and wrote 2009. nope, wrong. scratch that. 20010. oops. wrong again. and then with quite a bit of exherted effort i was able to arrive at the appropriate number. whoo! work out, that was!

 

so again, forgive the lack of capitalization and punctuation, this keyboard is exceptionally fickle. ;P well, happy new year! what will it bring? what will we bring to it? and what can we bring to the life of others? what a wonderful opportunity is before us to start afresh with the ... oh blast, if you all spoke spanish my life would be so much easier. hehehe. ... but i digress..... gaze fixed solely in the glory of god. we got to hear from pres amado, part of the 70 and pres of area of total of chile, was talking about his son who had to make a decision for a job, and he said that he pick the one that would help him and his family, and be happy, but to remember that it was just a job to help him and his family work for the lord. l thought that was pretty cool to think about. that no matter what, we should always live as if we were working for the lord. Pretty neat, but i don´t think i explained it very well. any ways!

 

 So, a few of you have asked for my mailing address, and as i have no objections whatsoever to receiving letters, here it is: ;)

 

Hermanda whetten

misión chile santiago este

Pedro de valdivia 1423

providencia

santiago, chile

 

and there it is!

 

alright, moving on. well, new years was pretty uneventful, we worked all day like always, entering at 10 as usual, but we did have a little bit of icecream, and as there are 2 peruvians in the pension, we decided to follow a little peruvian tradition and all put on yellow shirts, which they always do, to bring prosperity to the new year. :) it was fun. a little bit about the pension, before it was hna talbot and I with hna edwards and hna tabaco. now Hna edwards is in el templo and Hna alegre 8from peru) is with hna talbot. our sector is a bit far away from where we live, taking more than 1/2 hour just to get into it, but it´s pretty fun. it´´s a really small sector, but is is just jam packed with pasajes!!! i´m not kidding, there are soooo many and SOOO many people. we found a lot of people last week, but they didn´t go to church, so we´re going to work on that. it is 8:30 in the morning and really far away. more than an hours walk from the sector, and you pass others in camino, so it´s going to be a bit of a desafio, but with the help of the lord they will make it. ;)

 

well, time is chasing me out once again.

 

Thankfulness:

1. thankfulness. no. i didn´t mess up just there. i am thankful for thankfulness. i truly believe that my life is much happier for it. it´s just wonderful when you focus on the wonderful. the bad and the sad don´t find part. like elder wirthlin taught, ¨come what may and love it.¨ there´s always something to be thankful for. 

2. clorox cif lemon scented. ;) mmmm.... ( i may or may not have deep cleaned the bathroom today. ;)

 

love you all!!!!!!!

 

HerManda 

 

esta semana ha sido muy interesante, y buena para poder empezar en los cantaros. no había casi nadie para enseñar, ni citas, entonces, usamos mucho tiempo para poder encontrar personas. Fuimos muy bendecidas en poder encontrar con muchas, y familias tambien. el desafio fue la capilla, como está tan lejos (con más capillas cerca) y muy temprano, pero vamos a trabajar mucho y con los miembros para que puedan ir a la capilla y progresar al bautismo, templo, etc. cuando puedan entender los bendiciones disponible, no es nada.estoy bien, y animada para ayudar los cantaros y empezar un nuevo año en el servicio de dios. (el caps no funciona en este teclado. por eso.) Muchas gracias! 

Sorry, It's Short!

Los Cantaros, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

December 28, 2009

 

Oh my hannah! Can you believe the time?! Christmas came and went (but don´t worry... we still listen to Christmas music. It NEVER gets old in the mission somehow. Probably because it´s just so darn happy. :) ahhh.....)

 

Well, besides the date, you might notice something else new these days. Yep! New sector. As well as new companion. We got the call last night, and I got the ÿou go¨ but then later he told me I didn´t have to pack my bags. Which is an immense relief considering how much I don´t love packing. Yes. Quite undelightful. ;) hehehe.

 

Unfortunately, we will have to revert to the a picture tells athousand words, because today I tried to copy the pictures off of Hna Talbots camera onto my own, and it was a bit of a rig-a-ma-roo, so the time kind of flew out of the window. But here we go!

 

1. The Hna´s had a birthday party for me on my bday at the end of the day. Tan lindas!

2. We had an appt to visit Hna Juana (CR) and her husband Hernan (almost CR ;) and the had a candle with some cake. So cute! But especially good, because our lunch wasn´t there and so we hadn´t eaten. Woot!

3. Milciades´bautismo!

4. Temple Tours night afterwards

 

Sorry! I love you SOOOO much!

 

I´m companions con Hna Tabaco

Grateful:

1. Calls home!

2. Nativities of my kids!

 

KLove,

        HerManda

Cordillera, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

dec 21, 2009

 

What in the weird?!?! i can´t believe christmas is so soon!! (just so you know, the keyboard. yes, chilean ;) is terrible today and many of the keys don´t work well, so forgive the lack of caps and other spelling errors. movng on! hehe. that was not planned. ;)

 

Merry Christmas!!!!!

o sea...

¡¡¡¡ Feliz Navidad !!!!

 

this week has been Crazy! wonderful, and like always, time is never sufficient to do it justice. but let´s go for it! Today while the sun shines or something like that. ;) so! A great majority of this week was spent in the metro and micro, with the rest of the time in the temple, then getting ready, studying, sleeping, then eating, then time in the sector. the majority of which, and the most importantly being, the baptism of Milciades! (miracle there, with the practically non-existant time that we got to spend with him this week.) Well, baptisms are always a miracle. Claro que si. but at the smae time not! it just makes sense! everyone should be wanting remission of their sins, the guidance of the holy ghost, and the possibily of celestial kingdom glory. but i digress. ;)

 

The tours in the temple were amazing! it was such a wonerful, spirit filled, christ inviting, hectic, loco time! It was fantastic! And so much more stressful and exhausting than normal. ha! Didn´t know that was possible. ;) there were miracles ALL the time! And we were in charge of catching everyone on their was out of the pesebres, or simpoly letting them know, and taking them on the tour, to Luke 2 (oh yes. ) and the tarjeta de referencia with comments and sentimientos. we would run, try to do a quick, punching spiritual tour, and then RUN to get another group. Woo! it was thrilling. we had to keep doing them fastr and faster, but it was such a wonderful çopportunity. To get to talk about anshare the blessing of the restored gospel, and let them feel and realize the special spirit that abies about the temple. what a blessing to have them here on the earth! really, such a wonderful opportunity and such a muestra of the love that God has for us! Not some of us, but ALL of us! wow. There were so many investigators that took the decision to learn more, ask god, be bnbaptizd, and put the temple as their goal. tambien many les and inactives who were able to realize what they were missing, and put the goal to put their life in order and talk to the bshp so that they can enter and recieve these precious blessings. i just love doing tours, you develop such a quick, special bond with them,and i just love getting to share the love i have and the love of Christ with them. it is such a wonderful outlet. We slept the nights in Pocuro with Hna Griffiths and her companions because it takes FOREVER to get home from the temple and we always got out REALLY really really lateoudo a little studying and take the trip to the sector, meet with a couple people, and then trek back out to the temple. woo! i always get carried away with one facet of a subject, and then i never conclude. sorry! it´s just so wonderful. nathan ray in the n. mission from my home warwas going to come and bring his investigators, but couldn´t, so he sent a note with his wd mission leader to give to me, and took a picture. it was pretty cool, but would have been so fun if i wouild hsavbeen able to see him as a missionary and get a pictu together.

 

   something important that I need to get out before i go is.

christmas call family.

you call me.

christmas at 8:00 my time. at night. PM.

the number is 92824620 with the same area code as before.

 

I love you soooo much and am sorry this is so short o sea one subject sided without a lo of details and only sentiments. ;)

 

Love you!

 

thankfulness:

1. christmas!

2. Temples!

3. quadritos, o sea oatmeal squares cereal

4. showers! that are warm

5. everything!

 

love,

 

HerManda :)

 

oh yeah. spanish.

 

    (primeramente, tengo que decir que el teclado es malo, entonces, dicúlpe por favor los errores y falta de caps.) Esta semana milciades, sobre quien escribí la semana pasada, quien ha tenido tantos problemas en su vida, se bautizó. fue muy bueno para poder verlo adentro del agua. sentí un poco como alma 32 cuando el se siente feliz porque sus problemas los han hecho humildes y receptivos al espíritu. fue muy especial y tantos milagros que pasó para que el pudiera estar allí. es maravillosa la obra del Señor. :)
 

It's Almost HERE!

Nov 23, 2009

Cordillera, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

 

Gobble, gobble, gobble! (Just pretend you can hear me making that noise, because in all humility - it has gotten better over the years. Thank you nursery, primary, and nephews and nieces. ;) Or better said,

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

Oh how I love, that holiday!! It´s fantastic, food, gratitude, family, and the beginning of Christmas! Does it get any better? I submit that it does not. :) Well, this year you´ll have to enjoy the mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie (this is, of course, and exceptionally shortened list of the Thanksgiving feast) and family, but I´ll celebrate the gratitude - because that can never run out. Ooh! Not to mention Hna Edwards has a paper turkey that I named Harold which lives in our room. That too. Very important;)

 

Gratitude: (note- NOT in order of importance)

 

1. Christmas music! ahahaha! I LOVE IT!

2. Prayers - they´re amazing

3. To have the gospel of Jesus Christ always in my life

4. My fantabulous eternal family!

5. My wonderful friends!

6. Our investigators!

7. Dance! (I had a dancing dream last week. It was fantastic)

8. The expiacion of Jesus Christ

9. Letters! (You can´t imagine what a thrill it is)

10. To have temples!

11. The scriptures!

12. To live in the good óle USA ... you know what I mean ;)

13. To be an aunt!

14. To have a prophet!

15. Milk! That DOESN´T come in a box and a entirely different taste

16. glasses and contacts!

17. Fruit and vegetables!

18. Rain and sunshine!

19. Floss!

20. Email and internet

21. Books!

22. Laughs and giggles!

23. Phones

24. Pres. y Hna. Laycock  

25. Tostadas and all type of Mexican food!!

26. hot chocolate

27. To be w-Hna Talbot for Christmas

28. cough medicine

29. Crayons!

30. Time is short, lets cut to the chase - EVERYTHING!!!

 

Well, ya´ know it IS Thanksgiving week! ;)

 

The work in Cordillera is just about to explode, I can feel it what with all the help of the Lord we and they are getting. Please keep in your prayers Viviana-Carlos, Margarita-Mario-Michelle, Nacho-Patricia-Ignacio-Veronica, Carolina, Milciades, Grace, Marlen-Juaquin-Javier, and Janet-Sergio. Or just ¨our investigators¨ maybe, because that´s a long list to remember. That they can go to church, get baptized, and receive all the blessings that the Lord is waiting to give them! ;) Or perhaps put their names in the temple. They´re pretty much there, but something always happens on Sunday. SICKNESS, disappearing teenage daughter (she was at a friends house and just FAILED to tell her parents all weekend. They had to go searching all over for her.), etc! 

 

Well, the chest Xray´s clear, and I´m getting better little by little - thank you all for your prayers. The weather is HOT.COLD. HOT. COLD. here, and all the Chileans keep saying, ¨This is crazy! It´s never been this cold for this long! ´NEVER in November!¨ But I just laugh and tell them they´re going to have a gringo-cold Christmas. ;) I´m okay if it´s cold for Christmas, because it´s not bitter like before, and a little cold on Thanksgiving, is just normal, but it´s hot again, and I don´t anticipate it being cold again. Ya´ never know though.

 

Sorry for the Spanish, but we learn something new everyday, right? ;) JK. Sorry, it´s just easier to copy and paste. Faster too. 

     Esta semana tuvimos más ayuda de los miembros. A veces al último segundo el miembro no pudo o los investigadores no estaban, pero era mucho mejor todavía. Estamas enseñando buena gente que quieren progresar y cambiar, y iban a ir a la iglesia todos, pero solamente vino uno, después de la reunion sacramental. Encontramos despuès que todos los otros estaban enfermos y vomitando toda la mañana o buscando su hija que desapareció (le encontraron). Fue triste, pero por lo menos tuvieron razones, y no eran solamente flojos. Estamos animados para trabajar con ellos esta semana y que vengan todos este Domingo. Estoy mejorando poco a poco, y desarrollando más paciencia por eso. ;) No hay líder misional, ni cosejo del barrio, ni comité ejecutivo todavía, pero vamos a tener una noche de hogar con el obispo y familia, y Hno Escobar (lìder misional antes) nos ayuda cuando puede.
     Una experiencia muy especial que al visitar una investigadora Carolina. Con una hna que nos ha acompañada como 3 veces ya con ella, enseñamos L2, y el espíritu era tan fuerte. Ella estaba en una busqueda de la verdad, y ha sido animada, pero un poco dudosa desde el principio. Al final, al pedir que ella pida a Dios para saber, ella dijo que cree que ya sabía. Le invitamos a bautizarse este 6, y tenía que pensar y orar, pero quería. Fue de una cosecha, (which is when we pray about who on that street needs us, knock on their door, and ust say that the Lord sent us and we would like to leave a blessing on the house and family for one minute) y ella contó a la hna que venimos en un momento crucial, y que ella sabía que este era el camino que Dios puso adelante de ella. Justo se enfermó este fin de semana y no pudo venir a la iglesia, pero va a venir.

 

Love you all MUCHO!!!

 

Take care!

 

Love,

        HerManda

Okay Okay! Everyone don´t get your panties in a knot. As Tamara would so elegantly say. ;)‏

2 November 2009

Cordillera, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

First of all, happy November!! Oh how I love the beginning of November! It´s almost as good as the beginning of December! Which comes pronto. Hahahahaha! ;)

Okay fam!

Man! You certainly do ¨hav yur vays.¨ Before anyone freaks out, it just appears like I cracked a rib two Tuesdays back. We went to the doctor on Wednesday and he sent me to the house for the rest of that week AND the last week until Friday when we were due back at the Doctor again. I didn´t want to freak you out until it felt a little better, so as it´s feeling better today, I was going to tell you all anyways today. So if being stuck in the blessed pension (I just had to do it mom. :) hehehehe) for álmost 2 weeks isn´t taking care of myself I don´t know what is. That´s why I developed such a love for writing cards to people. The only way to keep bearing a constant testimony and looking up scriptures for their needs. A happy missionary is a missionary that bears their testimony. :) But I know there is a purpose in all this, de verdad. I truly feel like the Lord is with me, and during this time I feel like I was able to be an example of love for the work, the Lord, and happiness to the other sisters in the pension, 2 of which were thinking about going home. Happiness truly IS a choice that we make. And so I am happy. :) I got a priesthood blessing like 3 weeks ago from my district leader, which was short, but said that I could get better and do the things the Lord requires of me. Amen. :) Unfortunately it didn´t say any sort of timetable or, áccording to your faith¨ or anything like that. So there you go. I´ll get better, it just didn´t say when. I´ve spent a lot of time talking with the Lord, especially two tuesdays (hehehe) ago when I apparently cracked my rib. Instead of asking porque I asked para que and I just felt this peace that the Lord had a special little mission for me to do, that would bless not only me, but those around me. And that He was doing it because I was willing. So with that peace, I just told the Lord to do what He wants with me and that I would be a willing servant in His Hands. It was actually a pretty cool moment, and I realized afterwards that I was learning consecration. It was pretty cool, because it says in my patriarchal blessing that before I get married I will learn how do live that and other laws of the temple, and I had tried, but wondered how, and just figured that probably the prophet was going to install it otra vez before I get married. But now I´m thinking maybe not. And there was my first little step. Besides all the patience and other attributes I´m learning. I truly appreciate all the prayers and fasting, but don´t worry, the Lord knows.

I am getting better, and getting a bit more energy. I am taking: claritromicina (an antibiotic) 2xaday, SSKI some sort of crazy iodine or something drops that they brought from the states 10 drops 4xaday, ibuprofen, jarabe de toz, and this inhaler that is supposed to clear out in my lungs, lessen inflamation, etc, 4x aday but I just cough usually when I use it. (I don´t cough all the time, that is special) I haven´t got any x-rays or anything, and the Dr. said I didn´t have pneumonia because if I did I wouldn´t be able to breathe AT ALL, so there you go. So this is everything I´m taking. My lungs still hurt a bit, especially in the cold, so today I´m going to take a card out of mom´s book, boil a bunch of water and breathe it in under a towel. I remembered that yesterday. As I´m getting better, the Dr. gave me permission to do a few things, but we´re taking it really slow. We visit people really close for a little bit, go home and rest, and then if I feel good, we go out for just a bit. I have realized that health is important, so don´t worry, I´m taking better care of myself and not trying to push it. As Katrina told me so wisely, ¨If you haven´t got your health, you haven´t got anything.¨:)

I´m getting a little better, and if you want to talk to the Doctor, or you want him to call you, I´m going there on Thursday and I´ll tell him. Don´t call the mission president. That´d just be embarrasing. :)

Oh yes, and in answer to mom´s question, I would have been Penelope this halloween, because I have those fantastic blue shoes, and wonderful crazy polka dot tights like her. Not to mention the fair skin and longer dark hair. Í would have just had to work on the purple jacket with all the cute, crazy buttons and a pig nose. :) Hope your halloween was lovely, it surely is a blessed holiday. :) hehehe.

Gratefulness:

1. vegetables!!

2. vaseline. (It heals your lips, it takes off your eye makeup, etc!)

Love you!

HerManda :)

PS:

Jsut a quickie note. I don´t mean to sound ungrateful. I am grateful that you all love and care for me and are preoccupied. I just love you too and don´t want you to worry too much.  I love you all!!!!

 

THanks,

 

Love,

           HerManda

The best, dang Mexican fiesta south of the equator ;)‏

Cordillera, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

October 26, 2009

Ayyyyyyy!!!! Yayyy! YYayyy!Yayyy!Yayyy! So just insert the Mexican accent, because I´m a bit at a loss of how to write it correctly. But woohoo! So I got some Mexican ingredients a few weeks before and last Monday I took our Pension to Mexico! The South Americans now know that not everything from Mexico is called a taco, and if in some strange, rare moment in their lives they have eaten something called a taco, they have learned that it was in fact, a burrito. :) But what we had were TOSTADAS!!! And burritos too, but --- TOSTADAS!!!!!!!!! Yes, honest to goodness, TOSTADAS from CORN TORTILLAS. Ahh.... with beans! Refried beans! Oh the delight. With Mexican rice as well. Oh, it was so lovely. Ummm, can I just say it ONE more time...? TOSTADAS!!!! :) It was wonderful. Though picante for some, they still loved it, and are so much better educated in the wonderful world of Mexican food. I AM the Mexican hermana. hahahahaha. Anyhow, they loved it so much, that we decided to take a world tour on Preparation days, since we don´t eat with any members. Today Hermana Tabaco is going to take us to Peru! It should bwe good. There were a lot of Peruvians in L Dehesa, so I got to know their food pretty well.

     So, I´ve still got this cough, and my sidés been hurting this week, but I´m taking care of myself, and taking cualquier remedio, entonces. Don´t worry, I´m happy, it´s all good. The Lord didn´t forget about me. ;) hehehehe

     So! Amazing miracle. I mean, you just can´t work in the service of the Lord without seeing miracles all around you. Yesterday Vivana and Carlos came to church last week which was a HUGE step!! I don´t know if I´ve told you about them yet, but if UI haven´t, it´s okay, because they are just THAT amazing, that their story deserves repeating. (Although for the record I don´t think I have.) Oh my gosh, and after that great introduction, you will have rto wait till next week, because there just isn´t time enough to do it justice. But they are a wonderful family and we are all so excited! Oh yeah, she´s on 2nd Nephi as a tidbit.

Love you!!!!!

Gratitude:

 1. Corn Tortillas that turn into TOSTADAS (ha! I knew I´d get that in a letter one more time!) :)

2. Cards! I have found a new love in writing cards to people here. Ward members, invstigators, etc!

3. Prayer! It is our 24-7 unlimitless line to diety. Amazing, no?? :)

Love you and take care!

Love,

          HerManda

Charles Ingalls did not have Ibuprofin ;)

Cordillera, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

October 26, 2009

 

Yes, I don´t mean to be so worldly with these character references, but sometimes when you live in a situation that you´ve never lived in before (such as calla lillies --see week ago letter) your only frame of reference IS a movie! So why, do you ask, are we talking about Charles Ingalls? Well, I´ll tell you. He broke his rib!

Yes. And he did NOT have Ibuprofen. Can you imagine how painful that must have been? Oh. I can. I have gained a new appreciation for that man. (Okay, fine, he´s fictional - but he represents a whole lot of people from that age!) :)

:) hahahaha! Yep! You guessed it! I have now become a part of the broken rib club. ;) No, I didn´t fall out of a tree, nor did I save a baby from a runaway horse (sorry, I can´t help myself). Well, I was getting on the mend from my myriad of sicknesses and we were on our way to visit someone on Tuesday when I was coughing, like always, but I coughed an especially strong one and... POP!!! SNAP!!!! And OW! I tried to keep walking, like, oh wow, Hna that really hurt... Ouch. Woa...hm.... I feel like my ribs in the wrong spot.. (trouble breathing)...can´t really walk.... Hm.... Let´s call the hna de salud! O sea, the health sister. So we were close to Juana, whom we were going to visit, so we did a REALLY quick one, took a REALLY LONG hobble home, and then went to visit the Dr. the next day. (he was out of town). And yes. I did crack my rib. At least all that pain was justified, yeah?

     So we´ve been trapped inside the last little while, although we went for the first 2 hours of church yesterday. It´s awful, but I try to make things better by writing letters to all of our investigators. It´s nice because at least I get to bear my testimony and look up scriptures for their individual needs. :) I also write cards to all the people in the ward that have helped us, accompanied us, etc. So at least that´s something.

    It´s funny, having lung problems-coughing-and a broken rib. Ya´ know those cute little things like hiccups and giggles? They´re suddenly not so innocent anymore. :) hahahaha. I´ve recently discovered that I get animated at so many little things, laugh A LOT, and that all these things stem directly from my lungs! We´re working on trying to redirect my laugh into my throat these days. ;) Hehehehehe. Life is just FULL of unexpected twists and turns! Who knew you could break your rib that way???

Hahahaha! All you can do is laugh. Like Elder Wirthlin said, ¨Come what may and love it.¨

 

Well, hope you are all well and happy! Love you!

 

Love,

          HerManda :)

Catherine Hepburn lives! ¨In style, though dead!¨ (Return to Me)‏

Well, actually, now that I think about it, I´m not really sure if she ever died. Hm. Well, whatever the case - she´s in style! Yes, I hear her voice quite often saying,

 

   ¨The calla lillies are in bloom again.¨

 

:) hahaha! Yes! Did you ever know that Santiago in Spring is just CHOCK FULL of calla lillies?! EVERYONE has them! They grow, they thrive, they pop up everywhere! It´s crazy! And yes, very beautiful. Okay, enough of that. :)

 

October 19th, 2009

Cordillera, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

 

          So! Woa! I completed 11 months today! It´s crazy to believe. Things are starting to warm up around here, although the nights are BITTER and every few days the weather throws in a few I-hope-you-didn´t-pack-away-your-big jacket-scarf-gloves-and-umbrella-days just to shake things up. It´s quite divertido porque you never know how you´re going to dress. :) The weather game. Well, things are going well here, and starting to pick up again after all that blessed time in the house. Hahahaha - MOM. ;)

         The progress of the families we are teaching is lento, but we are making some progress with Margarita, Mario, Michelle, (and Maria Ignacia) - we call them the family M&M. :) We also found a 16 year old recently and had a YW in the ward accompany us, and it was so great! They´re both amazing! She understands so well, and has a friend, and wants to do everything. We met her a few weeks ago, but she has been out of town until just recently. A cool story there is that a few weeks ago she saw us talking to soe woman on the street and wanted to acercarse, because she knew we were talking about God, but didn´t for the same reason and didn´t want to distract us from the lady. We never saw her, but a few nights later we went to visit a woman on her street and felt to cosechar (which is where we pray to know which house to knock, and then pray with them, teach a small portion, and set up a return appt.) We did that there, and felt to knock a house - which turned out to be hers just a short time after seeing and wanting to talk with us. She just told us that, but I always thought it was incredible because she seemed so happy to see us and received us so well. :) The Lord TRULY is aware of ALL of us. Increíble, de verdad. :)

          Well, I am getting slowly, but surely better, although sometimes I still die at the end (or part day) and we have to go in for a little bit before going out again. But! Despite that, it has been a wonderfully productive semana, and I look forward to getting better this week as well. :) Sometimes things are tortouses, but it doesn´t matter as long as we finish, right? Right! And I am getting better, so don´t you worry! And I have to visit the Dr. this week again as ordered (by him last week) so everythings good.

          Well, fam and friends, when I said I lost ALL of your addresses, that was no joke, so if you could please send it over, I would GREATLY appreciate it. Some of you have letters all sealed up and just WAITING for your addresses.

 

Gratitude:

    1. The soft, happy blanket that I got from Aunt Relva, I just love it! Especially when you´re a little sick and just need a little      something warm.

    2. Craisins! Oh my goodness, how I love them!!!! Who knew they could be so delightsome? :) Ahhh....

  

Love you MUCHO!!!

 

HerManda :)

Weekly Peek: Oink, Oink!

12 Octubre de 2009

Cordillera, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

 

       So, are you all wondering what the oink oink is for? Maybe the huge lunches, maybe a run-in with a pig in a lesson, etc. Well the answer- 4 words: Swine Flu, Schmine Phoo.

Yep! Apparently that´s what I have had. On Monday I had to call the Doctor, and he told me to stay in during the night from Pday 7-10, because of the bronchitis, etc I had had,although he said that I could go out on Tuesday. So that was fun (haha), and on Tuesday we worked and taught a lot of people and it was great! Then Wed morning we have our zone-district meetings and I was dying. Non-stop hacking, lungs aching, etc. So! Anyways went to lunch, and then to study afterwards and then I found that I could not really breathe and couldn´t really get up to work. Ha! So yeah, we stayed in and then we went to the Dr. the next day, and they informed me that rather than bronchitis, I had actually had the swine flu and was happily on my way to pneumonia. Next stop: hospital. Woa! That sounds bad. Don´t worry, we didn´t go. That was hypothetical, as in the next stop WOULD be the hospital, with tubes, IV´s all that fun. So! Opting out of that option, they gave me this GIGANTIC shot in the... yep, you guessed it! and antibiotics, anti-inflamatory, these crazy drops called SSKI, jarabe de toz, and other such remedios. It was pretty amusing actually, because every time I would have a coughing attack or explain some symptom he would write down another drug. Let me just say, I am suddenly extremely impressed at the accuracy in which older people take their medicines. I mean, it´s crazy! 5 of these, 4 of these, 2 of these, 1 of these, woa! It really requires some thinking and planning. ;) De verdad. Anyhow! so I was commanded to the house until...today, although I did receive permission to go to church yesterday, thank you very much. So yeah! I can breathe much better now, my lungs don´t hurt as bad, and I´d say we`re out of the pneumonia path by now. hahahaha. Who knew that a little annoying cough from 4 weeks ago could produce so many problems? I certainly didn´t. Well, apparently it was just the swine flu in disguise! hahaha! I try to keep that little tidbit away from the people, not just so that they don´t freak out, but to keep their faith. A woman was telling us hm.... on Tuesday! about the swine flu and how she is thankful for the gospel and is just sure that no members have gotten it because the Lord is protecting them. Now, I know the Lord is still protecting us, and always with us, He just allowed me to get sick is all.

    So, yes, it was exceptionally hard to be in the house, especially when we have so many wonderful investigators, and can´t visit them, but the Lord did help me. I was laying in bed thinking of all the investigators, worrying about them, thinking of how they`re not getting visited, etc. I mean, obviously no one wants to get sick ever, but it was just worse because this isn´t MY time, but the Lord´s, and it was me getting in the way of His work. Then laying there I put the thoughts together. Yes, this is His work. And I KNOW that the Lord is always aware of ALL of His children, and there was no way that He was unaware that in Cordillera 2 missionaries couldn´t visit Margarita and Mario, Nacho and Patricia, Francisca and Juan Pablo, Marlen, etc. I mean, it is HIS work. So I took comfort knowing that they were going to be okay, because if they couldn´t take it, he wouldn´t have letten (wow, is that a word, and how is it spelled? ;) me get stuck in the house. And there is always a lesson in everything, for me, Hna Talbot, and the investigators. I´m just trying to learn it as fast as possible, and hope that if they need to learn a lesson that learn it quickly as well so we can get back to work. I have become a much more patient person in the mission. More patient with companions, the sicknesses of others, investigators, etc. But unbeknownst to me, I wasn´t quite to keen on it when it is me that inhibits the work. So I studied that this week quite a bit, in hopes to learn the lesson quick. :) But anyhow! After this thought struck me I was struck (sorry, it was striking. :) hehehe) with the clip from I Love Lucy, (I know, Babylon) when they`re talking to the man that runs the town with a hat for every job. So I realized I just had to take off my full-time-missionary-in-the-calle-all-day hat and put on my my-job-is-to-get-better hat. Funny enough, it made things so much easier. Okay, this is my job now, so let´s do it!! kind of thing. And then yesterday after church when I was studying I ran across a scripture in DyC 136:31 where it says that those in the Lords pueblo. Oh....aha! The Lord´s people must be tried in ALL things to prepare for the glory of Zion. So I looked over at Hna Talbot, and just told her, sorry I hadn´t gotten sick earlier in the mission, and it was just my time to be tried in that. But don´t worry! It´s all in prep for something better. :) So all, when things get us down, just keep plugging, put your trust in the Lord, and try to learn everything you can for it, because it is not a punishment, just another step to take on the way to exaltation. :) The Lord loves us, and He´s just trying to prepare us and make us into Queens and Kings. :) But yes, afterwards I can´t deny that there were still some moments of anxiety and frustration, but I decided as long as they were brief  it was okay, for like DyC 58, we can be anxious in a good cause, and what´s a better cause then sharing the restored gospel? :) But nobody worry. I´m good, taken care of, on the mend, and excited to be able to go out to work again this week. (Although I still haven´t received full release-reign yet).  

     Juana received the holy ghost yesterday and it was amazing! She is just such a joy, and so strong in the gospel and a real pillar for her family. Ha! A funny story, we had to call her on Friday to tell her we couldn´t go to visit her, and she totally said I told you so! :) It was so funny! I couldn´t believe it, and told her that I DID go to the Doctor, but she said not soon enough, or when she told me the first time, or something like that. ;) Then she called me on Saturday to see if I was still alive and then asked me if I was going to church, which of course I was, and she called me porfiada - or stubborn - to which I replied that I had gotten permission. :) hahaha. We get along great. :) And the ward received her so well yesterday! Well, the obispo is always M.I.A. for everything (including always waiting 20-30 for him for sacrament meeting), but the ward mission leader and RS were amazing. I just love the changes that come after baptism AND the Holy Ghost! Oh, what blessings we recieve!  

    Well, I love you all so much and hope that you are well, happy, and enjoying life!

 

Gratefulness:

   1. Breathing! hahaha! Such a lovely, little, wonderful thing!

   2. Scripture Marking Pencils! (Have I said that already? I don´t know, but either way, when you actually have a system - it´s incredible what you can learn using them. And of course a study journal as well)

   3. Sorry! Can´t forget the Joseph Nashville Tribute CD which Hna Edwards had which we listened to quite a lot. I love it! And it totally reminded me of getting ready Sunday mornings with you Elle. :) (Cinnamon Tree Apts)

   4. Packages! Oh my goodness family! Thank you SOOOO much! I got the package after the district mtg on Wednesday, and wow! I have announced to all in the house, when I feel better we are having a Mexican fiesta like South America has never known! Woohoo! (South America is like England in relation to Mexico and Mexican food) The corn tortillas are perfect and we are gonna` have TOSTADAS the Mexican way. Yes, I am la Mexicana. ;)

 

Love you all MUCHO!

 

Love,

         HerManda :)

Well, Hello! *(insert fun, accented voice of your choice. Just not East Coast. I can´t do that one. ;)‏

5 October, 2009

Cordillera B, Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile

Well, fancy that! Changes happened, and nothing did! I never knew it was possible. Yep! Hna Talbot y I are still together and still in Cordillera. But on the other end, there WERE changes. We were here in the sector with 2 other elders, one that had 3 changes ya here, and the other arrived nuevito con nosotras. But, they both got taken out, so we`ll be getting 2 new elders here. The house is still the same, shockingly, apart from the fact that Hna Hodgkin has to go home today. It´s crazy. I can´t believe that I´m already saying goodbye to her, when it feels like I JUST said goodbye to the last batch. Crazy. It was pretty sad last night and this morning saying goodbye, but it was a crazy reminder that yes, no matter what you want, the mission does end in 18 meses - ready or not. Trunky or not. But she was so focused the entire time and such a good example of ending the mission focused 100% in the work. :) Love her!

  So, let`s see! As I said last week, I had had a cough for a few weeks that was getting deeper, and as we live with Hna. Edwards, (the hermana de salud- everyone goes through her to get to the Dr) she cornered me on Tuesday and made me promise that I would go to the Dr. - and I reluctantly agreed that on the following Monday I would go. (Mondays are our Dr. days in Misiòn Este). Anyhow, as we were visiting Juana at the beginning of this week I had (like always) this HUGE coughing attack basically coughing my lungs out, and she scowlded me and asked me if I was going to the Dr. I said, yes I would go on Monday. And she said, ¨Monday! That`s too long. You need to go now......and tried to give me her inhaler that she had had for a bad cough. Obviously I did not take it. This was in the lesson of obedience, etc shortly after the palabra de sabidurìa and ya`might say she turned the tables on me. It was pretty funny. Just imagine. :) Yes, the investigator teaching the missionary. Which they of course always do by their examples, wisdom, comments, etc., just usually not so directly. Hahaha.  But then she told me that if I wasn´t there on Sunday because I was sick she wouldn´t get baptized, etc. Anyhow, again that night I agreed with Hna Edwards to go to the Dr. the next day. So! We went and said I had acute bronchitis, infections in my lungs, blah, blah, blah. ;) Then he said I had to take it easy and go in very early, etc. (the storie is below in spanish). Lungs still hurt, and my cough is anything other than lovely, but it´s getting better. I´m on 2 drugs whose names I can´t remember now, but it´s all good.

Well, I´m sorry, but the time has escaped me once again. In part because I was looking at adorable pics of the fam from conference. So cute! And oh my gosh, who is that GIGANTIC girl with the brown curls that looks something like Kayla and something like my old pictures? Woa. I guess time does pass after all. :) Not to mention all the new additions I keep getting. Yes, the word in Chile is out! I have a new nephew and another on the way. And yes, they are neck and neck equal these sisters. :) hahaha.

   Well, I love you all to bits!

Okay!

Pics: {not all of these pictures would fit in her email, so there are only a few}

1. Happy completing 18 months Hna Hodgkin and 10 months yo! (Sept 19th) from the girls in the house - they`re SO sweet!! One of them, Hna Bustamante de Chile can´t say my name AT ALL and so she just calls me Hna Bailarina - hence the dancing figures. ;)

2. la flia de Juana Parra

3.con nosotras

4. waiting (4 got baptized yesterday between conferences)

5. How lovely and clean!

6. So you really can´t get the grasp of HOW BIG this dog is! It`s just the biggest mop in the world. It was hard to find it`s ears!

7. I don´t know if you can see it properly, but there´s a big dog house behind him that says across. ¨Dinky¨. Yeah. He`s anything but, and I have no idea what it`s supposed to mean because the family doesn´t speak English. :)

Gratitude:

1. General Conference! Oh my goodness, I could go on forever about that! It flew, and oh what power, authority, and wisdom they have!!! Wow. Wow. We are surely blessed.

2. A transformer for the voltage sufficient to use my waver! Woot! Woot! :) hehe. Silly,I know.

   Bueno! Ayer tuvimos un bautismo muy especial de una mujer de 56 años llamada Juana Parra. Una mujer que estaba investigando la iglesia de vez en cuando para 34 años, y en los últimos años, los Testigos de Jehová también. Encontramos su nombre en la carpeta y cuando fuimos para visitarla ella fue muy dura, que no quería bautizarse, etc. Pero, sentimos a continuar a visitarla y que este tiempo, de verdad, era su tiempo. Mediante un proceso de mucha oración, y la constante guía del espíritu, ella podía sentir el espíritu muy fuerte y cambió por completo. TODO era la ayuda del espíritu, para decir las cosas que ella necesitaba y en una manera muy directa. De verdad podía sentir Su ayuda y el poder y la autoridad que tenemos como misioneros. Fue una experiencia increíble. Los miembros nos ayudó también con ella, que fue súper importante. Ella empezó de cambiar. De leer de verdad el Libro de Mormón, de orar con verdadera intención, despedir Los Testigos, Ir a la iglesia (gigante), obedecer los mandamientos, y últimamente, ser bautizada. También ella está reactivando su hija menos activa. Es muy especia, ella.

    Esta semana fue difícil para mí, y una batalle constante adentro de mí – especialmente en la noche. Yo estoy súper bien/feliz/contenta por todo, sin que Hna Edwards me mandó al Doctor y que el me dijo que tenía acute bronchitis, infecciónes en mis pulmones, etc. Me dio instrucciones que tenía que descansar, solamente pudiéremos ir a citas fijas, no tocar, y entrar a las 6:00 toda esta semana. Tengo que confesarle que no lo hice muy bien. Estaba obediente en no tocar y 3/4 días entramos temprano a las 8:00, pero de verdad, siento que si no estoy muriendo, debemos trabajar. Aparte de que tuvimos muchos investigadores que nos necesitaban, y todavía no pudimos visitar unos por eso. Bueno, sé que debemos ser obedientes en TODAS las cosas, entonces, discúlpeme. Voy a tratar de ser más obediente, pero cuando es algo así y tengo tantas ganas de trabajar... Bueno, no hay peros, ni excusas. Lo siento.

Hna Talbot está muy bien y ya es una misionera súper buena. Estoy agradecida para ella. Con ella es muy fácil de trabajar porque quiere ser obediente, seguir el espíritu, aprender, etc! Es maravillosa.

Love you all MUCHO!!!!!

Love,

         HerManda :)