Wednesday, July 29, 2015

6 More Weeks In Hualqui!



I will be finishing the training of Hermana Heaton. She was pretty nervous that I was going to leave and I was pretty certain I was going to leave too. But to be honest I am pretty sure it was just because I wanted to see a little more of Chile. I thought that if I got changed I could see two more sectors of Chile but now I am pretty certain there will be just one more. But we are happy to be staying together. Especailly because we have a baptism Saturday.We also have a matramonio with a baptism date too!

Our ward will be all Gringa Sister Missionaries now. 


So you guys need to meet Pedro. He is the man in the tiny store. We found him about 2 months ago. We thought he was our investigatore for a while but turns out he was a member. Happens more than you would think. But he is doing so well. Whenever it is raining he will wave us in his store and tell us some odd joke and send us off with something sweet to eat. He dominates the Sunday School classes and just wants to answer everything. Even if it is completely wrong. 





Hermana Heaton is a great missionary. Nothing gets her down. Even when she interprets everything completely wrong. We were talking with a family the other night and they were telling us how their dog had gotten into the house and eaten their pet turtle. Hermana Heaton said, "Que Bakan" meaning how cool! The poor little boy almost started to cry. Ha Ha :) But I love being able to finish her training. 


Tuesday, July 21, 2015

365 Days Latter

 My goodness I can not believe I have been gone for a good year. But it may be way ovious and showing in my photos to you all. As far as style and weight goes.They say for the Sisters that they have 12 months to enjoy Chile as far as eating everything you want and then 6 months to loose it all. It is actually called 6 months to sexy. But I am a little frustrated with my self because I only started enjoying it just a month ago (as far as eating). I think 3 months to sexy is a little more realistic for me.

I read back in my journal to when I first started the mission.....I have gone from being so stink-in frustrated with Spanish to absolutely loving it! My comp tells me I talk in my sleep in Spanish now and it drives her crazy because she cant figure out what embarrassing things I am saying. I never thought I would ever dream in Spanish. It is also funny to think that I have not slept passed 7am in 365 days either.  A year ago I also never thought I would see my own breath inside our own house.  

Hermana Heaton is the best new missionary. One reason being that she goes for all of my crazy object lessons and she test them out for me first. As you can see from the picture. I also have the best quote book going from her in my agenda. They may not be too funny to you all but I love them. Some are her funny way of trying to make English phrases work in Spanish but I will share a few: 
- Nuca le he visto....en la carne.
- That was a very climatic moment in my life. I got out of the way, screamed. and stepped in dog poop all at the same time. 

I guess something a little more serious that I could share after being a missionary for a year is that I have really gained a testimony in the way God guides us all perfectly in our path here on earth. That we can be frustrated with where we are at in life or with the situation we were chosen to face but it is only because we can just see  a few feet in front of us. And only takes 6 weeks, 3 months, or maybe a year to be able to look back and see how well God was preparing the happiness awaiting us. 
I remember before the mission saying how excited I was for hard days, trials, and moments to bend and break and grow so much....even though there were so many times in my mission when I wanted to take those words back....at the same time if I could go back....I would not change one thing. It was everything I needed and need and will need to be who God wants me to be and find so much more out about myself and strengths I never knew I had. 

Siempre,

Hermana Lance 

Below is a picture of ONE house.  It looks like two because of the fence and different styles, but it is one.  There is a lot of houses like this in Chile.


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

180 Flip

Last week we were on a high with the success we were being blessed with. Not only meeting all the goals but by going even past them. This week....not so much. We had a full week all planed out with all the news we had found and progressing investigatores but a lot of plans fell through.....A LOT! We were still able to meet our goals but it was difficult. We were planning "a for sure visit" every hour because no one wants to get stuck in the rain. But we found ourselves out side in the rain without entering a house until 8 in the night....bueno there were only 2 days like that but it is okay because we still have people progressing and there was an investigatore in church on Sunday with a baptism date but we just lost a family and were not able to see everyone as often as we need to, to help them go from just an investigator to a progressing investigator.

The great family I talked about called us and told us to never come back. It was a huge surprise because it went so well. They asked the best questions and we just had to answer. But turns out the mom does not want her kids or the dad to be so closely associated with others from another church even though they do not go to her church. BUT we saw the dad and 17 year old boy in the street just the other day. I told Hermana Heaton, "Look it is our 2nd chance!" But they just reminded us to never visit them and that it was the choice of the mom not theirs. Just rubbing some dirt in the wound.

And Jose is still fighting his addiction. After a week and a half clean he fell. But now he his getting medical help so it should help him with more. He has the desires spiritually but it is hard to beat what his body asks of him.
Last week I sent a picture of me in front of a red car with a bunch of ladies. I just realized I never even explained it. It was a surprise visit from Nonguen!!!! 3 wonderful ladies from my last sector that just decided last Sunday to go look for Hermana Lance. They wanted to do it before I got transferred again because sometimes the connections get lost. It was brief but full of so much care and gratitude visit!

So having a hard week is never too bad because for the most part it means you are going to have a rocking week to come so we arent too bummed for a second. Just excited for another week together. 

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!

 I spent my 4th of July cheering for another country as they won La Cupa America. It was such a great game! I just think I may have left a hole in the ground from where I had been jumping up and down.

Maria did it!! She got baptized on Saturday and her spouse said he is basically just waiting for us to tell him his date and that he is never touching alcohol again. So far he has kept his word. He just has to keep doing so and hopefully this weekend he will be baptized. Maria was so stink'in happy. She was almost giggly. She wanted to share her testimony after she was baptized and it was so nice. She shared how even though the process was a hard one she has never been so thankful to make it there and the only thing she wanted was to stay strong and faithful in the choice she had just made.
Hualqui is doing  so great! We feel so very blessed we found another wonderful family. The same second that we sat down they said now tell me about your church....and Joseph Smith....and coffee...and so many more questions. They just wanted to learn so much. It was a great lesson because they already have a religious background. We cant see them till Thursday or so, but we feel so blessed to not only have a great group of investigators that are progressing but to always be finding as well.
OH AND I JUST REMEMBERED!!! Hermana Ponce, my companion from Nonguen, informed me that an investigatore that we found together is finally getting married so she can get baptized and is going to do it with her 8 year out daughter the 25th! Her name is Ileny.

Hermana Heaton is so great! Sometimes I feel like a walking dictionary in the street as I hear, "como se dice," cada rato. But it is all good. She kills me with laughter when she asks me how to say all of these English phrases that do not work in Spanish. But my favorite has to be when she asked me, "how do you say, you nailed it" and in the middle of a lesson with a convert to! I just said, "uhmmmm lo calvo???" And the best part is that the convert said that is is actually a phrase in Spanish.....se dice, dio el clavo.