We Sing To Everyone

Hey Familia

I can´t believe that my first change (transfer) in the mission is coming to an end! WOW! This next week will be the start of week number 5. I´m not quite sure how I feel about it yet, because it makes me nervous to think that I might have a new companion in a new area and I will have to start all over again.  I guess welcome to the mission right?! I love this quote by one of my teachers in the MTC, I think about it a lot, she said, "There is no comfort in change, and there is no change in comfort."  So, I guess bring on the discomfort. 

Dad, I would try to explain where I live to you but I only know how to get there by walking. I´m still not sure about directions here. Maybe I´ll figure it out this week and let you know. 

Anyways, so my week was pretty good. Ok so I must have missed typed last week but we only had 9 investigators last week in church, not 14. But this week we had 8 which is so amazing.

So, Miguel. He was supposed to get baptized yesterday, but he ended up traveling to the south for his sisters wedding this last week.  We couldn´t do anything about it. But while he was there his family kind of placed some doubts into his heart about getting baptized. Well, we talked to him yesterday after church with a couple that I love. (They are our investigators as well but we can count them as members because they have been coming to church for like a year. The only thing that keeps them from getting baptized is they are not married. Rodrigo was still going through a divorce and it just takes along time for things like that to take place, but I will talk about them next.) Anyways, Rodrigo and his "wife", Maribel, talked to him about there experience with the same struggles, but just bore testimony of doing what you know is right in your heart. We invited him again to be baptized for this next Sunday! YAY! And then we have another baptism the week after that and hopefully one the week after that!

Let me just tell you about this new investigator we got this week. Hermana and I were waiting outside the church for an appointment with Miguel. Well, Miguel didn´t show up and we had been waiting for almost a half hour. Finally we decided it was hopeless and said bye to the member who agreed to come to the lesson. We went to go lock up the church when this guy was standing outside the church just looking at the inscription. We walked over to him and started to talk to him. The moment we started to teach him that he was a son of God and that God has a plan for him, his eyes lit up. Then when we told him that we are representatives of Jesus Christ he was said, "REALLY!?"  It was one of the coolest contacts ever. 

He told us that he has everyting. He has money, a big house, horses, cars, but his family left him and he is alone. He told us that whatever it is that we have he needs it! I am really excited to hopefully teach him. He doesn´t live in Graneros but he works there so hopefully we can work something out. It was really neat. We even sang to him on the sidewalk. We sing to everyone. Hermana Dutton has a really pretty voice and I can harmonize so it makes it fun to sing for other people.

Ok, so to answer some of the questions. I get one hour to email every Monday and we usually are in Rancagua because we can go to see the other missionaries, go to the office and pick up our mail (instead of waiting for it to get to us). I didn´t get the box today like I was hoping; it usually takes about 2 weeks or so to get to the mission office. So I´m sure by next week I will have it. I am super excited to get it.

About the language. . . ya lets not talk about it! Haha, no I´m sure I am getting better everyday, it's just slow progress. I have to remind myself that it takes time to learn a whole other language, but I just want to know it right now. I have to learn how to balance finding joy in the journey because this journey of learning a language is just kind of exhausting and sometimes depressing.  I know that everyday I can understand a little more and I definitely know that I know more than I did in the MTC....soooo slowly but surely. I will learn this language, but right now when I speak people can understand me and thats all I really need right now. 

It was cute in the cab on our way to Rancagua today I sat in back with this little old lady and we spoke to each other the whole ride. Convesation is slow but I at least could understand enough to keep talking to her. She was sweet and just smiled at my spanish. People do that alot, I will say somethign and they will just give me this cute little smile that says, "Oh, your so cute for trying". Haha...I hate it sometimes ;D hahaha

The weather is so nice here but it can be pretty stinking hot. NO air conditioning! Funny story: last night we got done teaching we were already late for our next appointment and, since we walk everywhere, we had to run...literally. Well, it's like 9:15 and still hot and sticky and by the time we get there I´m really sweating. At the end of the lesson with this family we are shaking everyone's hands goodbye and one of the boys points to his armpit and says,"Are you sweating?"  Hahaha..I was like.."Si, hace calor"..ya it's HOT... I just laughed, haha.  Good times on the mission.

Mom, I´m going to take a picture of the horno, or oven that they cook everything in like their empanadas. Maybe dad can build one for you so when I get home we can have legit emapanadas!! And then gourmet night will be that much more better! Everyone has one in their backyards. It's cool looking. 

Everything is good.  My comp and I are good, I am just so blessed.

 

I love you all sooo much!! ¡¡¡¡LES AMO MUCHO!!!! La Iglesia es verdadera. Cristo vive. Dios nos ama. ¡Todo es bien!

Hasta proximo Lunes

 

Hermana Thacker

(Recieved on Mon, Feb 20, 2012)