THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE

Okay before I get to our incredible baptism. I broke our light bulb. Yeah the one on our ceiling. I just raised my hand slightly above my head to take of a sweatshirt and bash! No more luz. Makes me wonder how many bulbs the Elders are breaking in these tiny houses. 

Okay, DANIEL GOT BAPTIZED!!! Por Fin!!! Daniel was my very first lesson in Chile. So we have been teaching him for a good while and every time we would give him a baptism date he would only accept the baptism and never want the date. He said he needed to learn how to swim first. Which does not make too much since considering his occupation is a scuba diver. But he loved learning!

Daniel's Baptism

We would call him during the days to see how he was doing. If we could see his house we would always spot him with his head out the window looking for us and trying to wave us down to come and visit more. So what was the difference for Daniel and accepting a date...The Book of Mormon. He would read his assignments from day to day but only what he had to. Only a week before his baptism he started from the beginning. He read 20 pages the first day then 30 the next and had over 170 in less than a week.

I will always remember the day he asked for a baptism date during a lesson. I just threw my hands up (checking for light-bulbs first) and gave him the biggest double high five with glossy eyes. He just laughed and said it is always so obvious when I understand and do not because of my reactions. But I did not care one bit I was so proud of him and was so thankful for his open heart to change and give all the effort he needed to receive his own answer of the truthfulness the Book of Mormon has. He loves to read it. When we read in lessons he always reads over my turn a loud because I am too slow for him :) 

More Chile Words: Wawa.....guess the meaning. Okay you were probably way wrong. It means baby. Not bebe, wawa. 

Have a great week! I love being a Gringa!!! 

Hermana Fun

Hermana Fun!

Rains almost every night.

Rains Almost Every Night.

Waiting for Summer!

Waiting for Summer.

Independencia Dia!

The 18th of September and the whole week of it actually is just a huge blast in Chile! People everywhere are always giving you food. Tons of bread and bake goods! Which, yes, that means more Mote con Huesillo. I had probably 7 or so more glasses of this whatever and was able to keep it down a ton better. And somehow I found out I asked a second round when I thought I was asking for just peach juice. Nevertheless!! Each dose gets easier. Hopefully the leaf overs from the 18th will run out soon so my stomach can have a bit of a break. Besides tons of Mote was tons of empanadas! Which I enjoy. But after my 11th in 42 hours I think I am good till the next 18th of September. We never had a chance this week to even think about being hungry. A member cook 7 sausages, 4 steaks, and 5 chickens just for my companion and I. She has been passing along her skirts to me that she struggles to fit in after 6 months in Lirquen. Hopefully I will still be able to fit in them after more time here myself :)  

It was hard to find and teach this week because of the Holiday. Lots of people were out a ton and lots of people had family visiting. So on the 18th of September all four Hermanas in Lirquen went to the main Plaza where there are lots of street venders. We drew the Plan of Happiness HUGE with chalk and did our best to contact and teach families how they can enjoy the happiness that their family gives them for all of eternity. 

We of course had to get our own cueca dresses for the national dance of Chile! It is such a fun, simple, flirtatious dance. The members of our church had a fun activity and lots of dance competitions. Hopefully my videos work out with sending for you all to see. The dresses can be SO big with giant slips under them. All the members said I looked more Dutch then Chilean.  

I hope my letters are getting to you all in a decent time frame. Please email me your address if you would like a personal letter. I love writing them and my family and friends are always in my thoughts and prays. A HUGE thanks to my capa (smart) and linda (beautiful) madre! She keeps this blog running and I am so thankful for her help in preserving

these memories! Have the best week!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Lance  

2 MONTHS DOWN!

It is crazy to think I have been out for 2 months already. I can´t decide if it feels like a lot or a little yet. I figured I would tell a little about the great Hermana´s I have been living with. My comp is from Peru, is 23 and has not even been a member for 3 years. She will hit her 3 year mark this December. She is always saying "Esta Mujer" or "Esa Mujer" (this or that women). She is more patient with my Spanish then I deserve and she has started to pray in English more as I teach her here and there. She may be pretty short but she walks crazy fast. And makes me try to keep up a lot of the time. But she hates the hills and all the stairs we have! So every once in a while I end up giving her piggy back rides down the big ones. 

Hermana Taylor is the other Gringa in our casa. She is 21 and is from Utah. She is super funny and always has the Hiccups. Literally. It is like a problem she has had from 7 years. Some medical term I do not know the name of. But they are loud and big! Pretty funny but usually helps get people talking.

Hermana Gamboa! She is from Peru too and is 25. She is super funny as well and always is saying "Tengo swag" (I have swag). It is so fun teaching them English and their accents with it. It is impossible for them to say any word that starts with an S without and E sounds in front of it. 

My new Zone in Penco:

We spent the morning on the beautiful beach and the Elders found branches to make a volleyball net. They carried their oven slash stove all the way down to the beach to have burgers too. It was a ton of fun and a funny sight. 

Good old Spanish:

There are a few people that our surprised to hear I have only been in Chile for less than a month and I know a decent amount of Spanish. But I was humbled this week by a 4 year old who told his mom I speak funny. I may not have 4 years of Spanish knowledge but I love speaking and hey! I understood my first joke this week too! 

Thank you all for the letters and DearElders! I am known for over reacting in the office where we get our mail but I can not help it. Thank you for all the love and prayers. 

Always,

Hermana Lance 

14 Days in Chile!

We had a baptism on Saturday!!! Raul! He was 84 years and 1 day old on Saturday! I felt so blessed to be apart of his experience even just for the last end bit. He is really hard of hearing so we have to really speak up almost yell when we teach him. Which has been pretty funny because it is really hard when you know you are speaking really loud really bad Spanish. But great practice for sure. 

Dogs:

My goodness there are dogs everywhere. Loud, mean, dogs. So I got over my childhood fear of dogs in not even 10 minutes from being in Chile. 

The Gringa Life:

It always surprises me when I hear English in Chile but people will yell it to me in the streets all the time. From across the road even they will yell, "Hellllooo, how are you," or when even just passing others they will say "Gringa! Bye bye," it can be pretty funny. When we go to teach families with children in Elementary school they always bring me their English homework. I just love teaching them and it is a great service opportunity. Plus we invite them to our English class on Saturday at the church to help them build relationships with the church members as well. 

H2O

I miss water! Chileans do not really like water. They do not think it has much of a taste so if you do ever ask for it they put stuff in it for flavor. Besides that you are always drinking juice or soda. So by the end of the day I just want to brush my teeth so badly because of all the sugar. 

Spanish??

Chilean Spanish is not what I was studying in the CCM. "Po". The word "po". They say it after almost everything and I finally figured out what it means........not a thing! It does not mean one thing. But it is just said every 7 or so words. And lapiz. I think that is how you spell it. It is pen. And everywhere else in Spanish pen is pluma. Or boyfriend or girlfriend. Everywhere else is novio or novia but here it is pololo and polola. I learn tons of new words everyday but for every one I learn I write almost 10 more new ones down that I need to retain. Never ever bored. 

The Members! 

Our church members are great! There are a group of teenage girls that love to hear my broken Spanish. They call me Hermana Honey because of my hair and think it is so cool that I have seen American singers live. The members try so hard to help me understand jokes but I think I am far from that. I let them try about 3 times and then I will give them a good laugh and nod like I got it. 

MOTE

Chile is getting crazy with their Independence Day coming up on the 18th. It is bigger than Christmas here. They drink Mote a ton during it and if you ever have the option to try it.... DO NOT! I may have not done a very good job at keeping it down. I am trying to come up with something in it that I can be allergic to so I won´t have to sweat it out anymore. Just look it up. I can not even start to describe the texture and flavors. 

Till next week,

Hermana Lance 

Lirquén, Chile! My first area!

Last days in Mexico City with my District.  So thankful I get to see 6 of these powerful men and women here and there in Chile! 

I MADE IT TO CHILE!

After many hours on a plan I am finally where I have wanted to be for a good while! Even though I had to leave the awesome weather and people of Mexico it is great to be using what I know. Which I have learned very fast is not much at all. All the Spanish I thought I knew means nothing at all in Chile! The speed is insane and I can not even catch, "How are you?" or "Where are you from?"  I have gotten some of the biggest neck turns ever. I stand out more than I thought. My comp and I have gotten lots of car honks and blown kisses in our direction. She said it is a tall blond thing. We were contacting this one man who asked how long I would be in Chile and that I should stay as long as I can so I can share my genes. Of course I just smiled clueless of what he was saying until my comp said it all much slower for me after he left. I have to watch my head in most houses to try not to hit ceiling fans or lights. And I can not even stand up straight in our shower. And I am not even that tall....just a gringa. 

So my COMP!! 

Hermana Lino!!! She is 23 and is from Peru annnnnd speaks no English. YAY! We have had such an interesting week. I have been teaching her English though. It is hard not to have head ache moments after saying good morning and trying to focus super hard on every word she says but I am sure it will help me progress much faster than I would with a Gringa. Speaking of Gringas! I have never felt so different around people before. An investigator we have, finally measured me because I was not sure of my height in their metrics system and people always ask. 176 cm!! My companion is super loving though. She always is hanging on my arm and guiding me every which way we should go.

Food! 

TOO MUCH!! Oh my goodness. So we eat a HUGE lunch everyday at 1: 30 and then that is it for the rest of the day besides snacks if we want. But I am dying after lunch. It is rude if you do not lick your plate clean basically. They usually start you with a soup then a crazy big main dish and always desert. With optional bread and salad on the table. I am usually full after the soup so I have learned to stay away from the optional bread and salad so I can finish everything else. It also helps eating fast so I can not feel myself getting full. Yikes! That does not sound healthy. So I am never ever hungry.

Daniel! 

We teach a man named Daniel! And I pride myself in just understanding simply the subject he is talking about because he goes on and on and hardly breaths when he speaks. I finally grabbed the remote on the table during a lesson and said pausa! He laughed so hard! He did not change the speed of his Spanish but he lets me pause him every once in a while to try and catch up! 

MAIL! 

Again super slow, but this time DearElder is slower than regular mail. No idea why. I do not know why a lot of things happen here as of right now. I am making my way though. Feeling a lot of things and learning even more! I love and pray for you all! 

Always,

H. Mckenzie Lance