MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Today I am having one of my happiest days in the mission. I am just so content.....but me voy! I am leaving Lirquen and heading to the Zona Andalien! I am going to be with the Hermana who finished the training of Hermana Garces and who trained Hermana Vawdrey from the MTC. Pretty cool I am so excited to learn from her and see more of Chile. I am going to miss Hermana Garces that is for sure. Our companionship was almost too good to be true. I am for sure going to miss all her dreams that she tells me about every morning.

But there is so much to do today to leave. We got the phone call Monday morning...I wiped a few tears away for having to leave Lirquen and started packing and will be in my new sector tomorrow morning first thing. But yeah I did have to shake a few tears. Leaving a place where I have walked the streets for over 4 months bright and early till 10 at night every day. It is hard to not be attach. I am going to miss Franco so much. He is a reference from our Bishop and he has been to church once already. He is the best! He was so down to hear I had to leave but we told him that when he gets baptized he will just have to send me  picture and he said yes :) We taught him the Plan of Salvation this past Sunday. He was all over it and before we even taught him he was teaching us from just what he thought on his own. He had thought there had to be a judgment to measure how good we were in this life. To compare the 10 good things in your life to the 5 bad. His heart and mind are so opened to the spirit and he tries so hard to meet with us. Even though he works on a lot of Sundays we to our best to make it work. Last Sunday he could not come to church because he was working at this restaurant. So we went in after church to tell him what he missed and how we missed him. And he taught us how to fold those cool napkins that are on the plates at restaurants . Now I can toss that special skill on my resume ;)

But as for my Christmas! I got to Skype my awesome family! I got to see beast family videos of my little sister tearing up the basketball cort and my awesome sister in Mexico stole my idea. Because she Skyped home firs, she had mom and dad record a message from her to me to watch when it was my turn. I was going strong with not crying till I had to say goodbye. My fam is the best!

This past Monday Hermana Garces and I had found ourselves in charge of this huge service project for our Zone. We organized a service dinner with the local police station. We had a dinner, choir, Christmas 

cards, videos, and great conversation for those without a home this Christmas. It was a tone of stress to put together. We had built a giant tree for decorations and had to run across town with it in our hands to the school that was where we were hosting the dinner. But when you are two Gringas in Chile people show you a lot of mercy. We ended up throwing our tree in the back of some random persons truck and the activity was beautiful. Lots of smiles!

If you have not been able to tell my mind is so scattered but full of so much happiness to share. Thanks for all your love and support and start off the new year with those who matter most!

Hermana Mckenzie Lance