Week Seventy-Three: Miracles and Lessons Learned

Area: Collao
Companion: Hermana Parkin
Hermana Parkin's Blog: First Week in My New Sector

Dear familia,

Whooooo, long time no see! I am soooo happy that we got to talk last night ... even with the complications, it was super sweet to be able to talk to you guys. Thirty minutes isn't really that much time to catch up on a whole year's worth of material ... but I get the feeling that pretty soon we will get the chance to talk a little bit more. #fiveweeks (I seriously can't believe it!). So, I hope that my emails aren't horribly repetitive. I feel like every week is full of miracles and lessons learned ... but I am a little bit stubborn, so I feel like I keep learning the same lessons over and over again and seeing the same miracles over and over again. Ah well. Life is good. Life is actually really really good!

On Monday night, we had all of the girls that were going home in our house. It was sooooo crazy. There were so many people. I ended up sleeping on the floor in the living room and got to bed around midnight because everyone was packing and getting ready for their flights. In the morning, they woke up at 5 oclock and left the house at 6. I sleepily woke up at that time and gave Hermana Quintana one last hug. It was so sad ... because I think it hit me that we might never see each other again. It was super sad to see them go, but they left super calmly. It was like nothing had happened at all.

Right away, my companion, Hermana Parkin was able to come over to our house. She is from Utah and is amazing in EVERY WAY! Seriously, she has been a super companion so far. We work really well together, and have been able to put a few goals for what we want to happen this cambio. I really like that about her. She is super goal focused and she loves working really hard to acheive those goals. That is something that I have always wanted to be really good at, so I am already learning from her. She has really cool stories because she has done some really cool things with her life. She went to Ukraine to teach English for a couple of months on a whim. She had a cake business when she was growing up. Loco! I love her!

It has been interesting leading the sector around here. I find that I know the people a lot more than I thought I did ... and sometimes I know them a lot less than I thought I did. But it is great seeing things with new eyes because we have been able to find deeper needs for the people and to teach to those needs. I feel really confident and bold when it comes to talking with the people. I think that deep down inside, my heart is starting to recognize that there isn't that much time left to give everything that I have ... so I have to give it all! I have come home to the house happy but dead tired every day this week.

We went out with a lot of new members this week. It was awesome!! One of them was a new convert named Rodrigo ... and he is a boss! He is the one that got baptized and then helped the people that were getting robbed. Yeah, that guy. He is reading the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants AND The Power of the Everyday Missionary. Wow. His testimony when he shares with the people is AWESOME. It just goes to show you that you don't have to have a lot of time in the church to be blessed with the ability to share your testimony. You just have to share it and Heavenly Father helps it to touch the lives of the people.

Hermana Parkin had a training meeting this week for new leaders, so I was able to have the good part of the morning to really study the gospel. It seems silly to say that ... because we have 2 hours every single day to study ... but it was rewarding. I decided to study really in depth about the Godhead and I learned so many things. I think that so many people see Heavenly Father as just a person that is there ... that listens to us ... but it is a little bit harder to visualize him as a person that actually loves and cares about each one of us individually. I spent a lot of time pondering that and it was amazing to just let the thoughts and feelings come and to really learn by the Spirit. There isn't any other way to do it!

There is a family in this ward that I have been wanting to work with for a really really long time. The girls of the family are all active ... but the boys are totally inactive. The dad and his two sons have fallen off the face of the planet. Every time I pray to know who we should work with, this family's name comes to mind. We had lunch this week with the mom and her two daughters and it was so powerful to be able to tell her that God was mindful of her situation and that he was ready to help her to help her family. I know that God wants to help us WITH our families! I am so excited to start working with these people to help them to progress and grow.

We found a lady this week that is great. Her name is Carolina (like every single investigator that I have ever had haha), and we found her knocking doors one rainy afternoon. She is thirty years old and lives with her two kids and her boyfriend (BOOOO). Her boyfriend is working in the north, so they hardly ever see each other ... we're working with that. Anyways, Carolina was super friendly to us and listened to us soooo well. She has felt so lonely these past couple of weeks, and we were like an answer to her prayers! She accepted fecha (even though she can't get baptized until she gets married), and she came to church this past week!! Her baby ran around the chapel like a mad man and I was on baby patrol. It was just like being at home ... because I used to herd the babies of investigators during the Sacrament meetings there. Good times. It was worth it, because all of the Hermanas noticed that she was new and she was able to make a lot of friends! Ahhh, I love this ward!!

It is interesting because I have always looked to Collao as a kind of promised land, free of worries and cares. When I was struggling with my sectors, I would pray that I could come to Collao ... almost to escape from all of the bad things of the world. But, I have come to realize that the grass is always greener on the other side. Really, everywhere ... the church is about the same. We make promised lands based on our perspective of things. It is always just better to think about how awesome things are in the present and to really enjoy them! Everything is awesome if you think that it is!

We had a great lesson with a menos activa recent convert (that is a sad reality here in Chile). We have been trying to find her ever since Hna. Quintana was here, but we were never able to call her or visit her. She lives super close to our apartments, so one night, on the way home, I decided to knock and see if she would answer. She did!! AHHHH!! Por FIN! We were able to set up a cita and she looked at us and said, "Hermanas, I need a lesson about forgiveness. Can you help me with that?" We told her that we could and immediatly started planning to teach it. We were able to find a lot of scriptures and quotes ... and in the lesson, we were able to apply everything that we had planned/learned to her situation. She really seemed to benefit from our studies. I love this part of being a missionary. I love being a problem solver!! It's fun.

En fin, we had a great day on Sunday. We had two people in church with a fecha to get baptized, were able to make a lot of visits ... And of course, I was able to talk to you guys. That made me sooo happy. It was a tender mercy and it just got me so pumped up to work even harder these last couple of weeks. We are seeing miracles here every day!! We are working hard to be better missionaries and to help the Hermanas and the people every single day. I love you sooo much and hope that you have a great week!! I couldn't ask for a better family! Next week I will be writing from Chillan. Getting ready to make it rain haha. Thank you sooo much for all of the prayers and love.

Love,

Laney

Week Seventy-Two: The Beginning ... Of the End

With Sisters Antillon and Quintana.

Area: Collao
Companion: Hermana Quintana

Dear familia,

Ahhhh, this morning I got my last call for cambios. We stayed up late last night packing all of the stuff that Hermana Quintana is going to be taking to her house ... and it was soooo weird. It is weird killing people, because it makes dying seem super real. And so it goes in the mission. I am going to be with a new Hermana Leader this cambio -- Hermana Parkins! She is super young in the mission (9 months!), but I am excited because I feel like we are going to be able to do great things together!! I am so excited already for this cambio. We are going to have a wedding and a baptism ... more than one baptism hopefully.

Last night, I was praying and I gave it all over to the Lord. You know, this month and a half is going to fly by ... and I want to give my all. I have made some goals that I want to achieve and I know that Heavenly Father will help me to accomplish them! Really, I think that the biggest goal that I have is to keep working hard until the end. I want to be exactly obedient to the end. And I want to love the people until the end.

The end. Ah.

Laney didn't say who all the people are in her pictures this week.
She'll have to label them when she returns next month.

This week went by in a whirlwind. Hermana Quintana was saying goodbye the good majority of the week, so it was really bitter sweet. The people here love her so so so much, and it is sad to see how sad the people are that she is leaving. Luckily, we were able to see pretty much everyone that Hna. Quintana wanted to see ... which is a miracle. I remember when I was killing Hermana Romney, we waited until the last day and it was nuts. This has been unreal.

I honestly don't know what to write. My mind is completely blank.

I continue to have awesome experiences with the Book of Mormon every day. A new power is coming to my proselyting skills because I am studying it. I can feel it! The other day, we passed by to a members house and she was DISTRAUGHT. She was super sad because she had just found out that her mom has cancer and will probably pass away. Scriptures that I had studied that morning came to my mind and I was able to comfort her. It happened with one of our investigators as well. He is from Peru and is dating a less active lady here. He had a ton of doubts about the Book of Mormon, and I was able to testify with power that I knew it was true ... and was able to find scriptures that had to do with his doubts.

Little moments like that make the mission so much fun. I am seriously loving my life here ... if you didn't already know. I feel like every day I am getting better and better! 

This week the email is really short ... because I had to work out some recuerdos and what not, but I love you all soo sooo sooo much. I am so excited for Skype. I am still not sure what time we are going to be Skyping ... if I were a betting woman, I would say that we are going to do it at 4 or 5 our time. I will let you know!!

I know that the church is true!! I know that Heavenly Father knows and loves us. I am getting ready to put on the fire. Chile Concepcion has no idea what's coming. I love you and will see you soon!

Love,

Laney

 

Week Sixty-Seven: Collao!!

[Mom Note: We aren't sure what is going on in this picture. It was on the mission blog. Laney's mission president
is in the middle of some sort of teaching moment, and Laney is reacting in a very Laney sort of way. :)]

Area: Collao
Companion: Hermana Quintana

Dear familia,

What a whirlwind of a week. What a crazy, incredible whirlwind of a week.

Hermana Quintana is like a little Peruvian ball of fire. This week, we just worked and worked and worked. There are no hills in Collao like there are in Tome and Penco, but I came home dying just the same because of all of the work. I love Hermana Quintana for so many reasons, but I especially love the hard work that she is putting in at the end of her mission. What a great example.

Familia Figueroa

Familia Poblete

It was a little bit hard to leave Penco (granted ... Collao is like, 8 miles away from Penco ... so it's not that different). I really loved the people in Penco, and I was surprised to see that they really loved me, too. When we went to take pictures with the members and to say goodbye, it made me so sad. New situations, new people, new everything awaited me ...

Presidente Navarro and Solange were SO NICE and drove all the way from Tome to be able to take us to the terminal in Collao. My suitcases are officially the heaviest things in the world ... more than 75 pounds ... so it was hard to get them to even fit in the car. I wasn't really thinking about that when I packed. It was even harder to get my suitcases into our 5th floor apartment. Presidente Navarro picked them up and put them on his shoulders like Hulk ... and somehow made it to the top floor without dying. I was super impressed.

Familia Zuchel

Familia Zuchel Part Two

Collao is like paradise. There are a ton of YSA ladies that are willing to come out with us. There are a ton of investigators that are progressing. We have a washing machine. Like I said, PARADISE. I already love these people soo much. I have been loving them since the beginning of my mission.

One of our investigators is Liesley (said, Lesly). She is the ALMOST wife of a Menos Activo and has been investigating the church for a couple of years. Her divorce papers are almost done and she has a marriage date for the 24th of April with a baptismal date the day after. It is awesome to have lessons with her because she is basically like a member already. She knows that everything is true, so we just have to keep helping her to feel the spirit so that she can eventually get to the temple.

Familia Mejias

Familia Olave Ortiz

I am feeling a little bit dizzy here in the Ciber (I think that my stomach is feeling los calzones rotos that I ate yesterday). So ... that's why my email is a little bit lame as of now ... but to make up for it, I will tell you a story.

In the mission, we are starting to show a new video (maybe you've seen it?). I don't have any idea how to say it in English, but it is called Gracias a que El Vive ... and it is super! [In English it is "Because He Lives." Check it out HERE. It really is super!] We have been showing it to all of the people that we have been teaching this week.

Yesterday, we went to visit this little, faithful abuelita named Hermana Matamala. She is 82 years old, but she has gone to church almost every week after the day that she was baptised. Like every Chilean lady, she loves to talk ... so Hermana Quintana and I prepared to show her the video and then share something little afterwards to be able to get to our next cita. We watched the video and it was super spiritual. We talked for a couple of minutes about Jesus Christ and how what he did for us is awesome. And then Hna. Matamala took it in a totally different direction.

"I am going to tell you a story ..." is the beginning of a chaotic lesson here in Chile. So began the hermanita. She then began to tell us about how, coming down from the bus on the way to church that morning, her skirt had fallen down and the elders had seen her. Her laugh was so cute when she told the story. We just laughed and laughed ... but we had to get back on topic. She said, "Man, I was so embarrassed." And I hopped in and said, as seriously as I could, "Well, you can be sure Hermana that Jesus Christ understands exactly how you felt in that moment."

I lost it. I just laughed and laughed harder than I had laughed in a long time. We were able to share a quick scripture and bear our testimonies ... It ended up being a good lesson.

I really am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Even though it sounded like I was making a joke in the lesson with Hermana Matamala, I do know that Jesus Christ understands every pain and sadness that we have felt. He knows what embarrassment is because he felt it, too. He knows how to help us and make us feel better. On the mission, I have frequently felt of the divine influence of the Atonement. It is something that I will be grateful for the rest of my life.

I am so EXCITED for Conference!! I will keep my eyes out for the St. Robert group in the huge crowd. The church is TRUE. It is guided by Jesus Christ himself. I know that He lives. I know that he loves and knows each one of us personally.

I love you all so much! I hope you have a great, great adventure filled week!!

Love,
Laney

Week Sixty-Six: Heavenly Father Answers Prayers

I love them so much! I was pretty much bawling when they took this picture.

Area: Penco
Companion: Hermana Antillon

Familia,

There are so many things that happened this week. Here we go with the most random letter of the world.

We had a great mini-cambio with Hermana Sheppard and Hermana Osborne. I went with Hermana Sheppard ... and I just love that girl to pieces. She makes me feel like a rockstar every time I am with her. Actually, she makes everyone feel that way. I always learn so much about love on these mini-cambios. I understand a little bit better now why CHARITY is the most important Christ-like attribute ... without love, nothing else really works.

I hit 15 months in the mission this week. To mark that day, there were a bazillion earthquakes. It was the first time that I have ever felt one! We were studying and I suddenly felt really dizzy. The doors were rattling and the furniture started to move around. It kind freaked me out ... even though it was really exciting, but all of the Chileans were like, "Ah, that wasn't anything." It's just like the time I have on the mission. It seems like a crazy thing, but really, it isn't anything. Ayayaya, the time has just flown by so quickly. I can't believe that I just have three months left, but I am determined to make them the best three months of my life. I have learned so so so much and have met so many people that I love ... and I am just excited to keep on working with that.

This week, we found a menos-activa and her non-member daughter. We were able to talk really openly with them and got to know them almost immediately. The daughter was running around a little bit to control her three little kids ... so it was a little difficult to start the lesson. Finally, she was able to sit down with the baby and listen to us. We pulled out our hymn books and asked if we could start singing a song ... everyone was alright with it, so we started to sing Secreta Oracion (Secret Prayer?). Slowly, the look on the baby's face turned from a smile to disgust. He started to cry and Hermana Antillon and I had to stop singing. We were laughing so hard. We sing so badly ... that a baby cried.

We had a good lesson with Ivonne this week and with her pareja. I LOVE THIS FAMILY. The kids were waiting anxiously for us to come. Ivonne said that her daughter had been asking all day when the Tias were going to come (Chileans say tias to all types of ladies). The whole family is showing a huge interest in the gospel. It is a MIRACLE!! We just teach the doctrine and they seem to get it. Ivonne is reading the Book of Mormon really well ... well enough to ask us what the Urim and Thumim are. I am so excited to see them progress.

Sister Study this week! Whooooo, it has been a hard cambio with the Hermanas here in Penco. We decided to make a breakfast for them before the study and it turned out really well thanks to the Pancake mix that mom sent me for Christmas. I only caused two explosions on the crazy Chilean stove top... it was a good cooking experience. We talked about the Atonement and how it can make us clean. How it can help us to become more and more perfect. I have never felt so blessed by the Atonement as I have on the mission. I know all of my weaknesses pretty well by now ... and I know that Jesus Christ can help me to overcome them.

That day, we also had the first session of Stake Conference. Hermana Solange called me a couple of weeks ago to see if I could sing in the Conference and I was all for that! I got to sing a song called, "Familias son eternas," and I think that it turned out pretty well. The better thing than singing was getting to see all of my peeps from the stake. Josue Castillo, the eternal investigator that I had in Frutillares showed up! That was exciting! Also, I was able to see Manuel!! I love that man sooo much! He is progressing so well. Actually, he just got the Melchezidek Priesthood. At the end of the conference, I loved going to all of the people that I know and greeting them. Hermano Carlos Torres told me, "You are the second most well known person in the stake behind Presidente Navarro." Haha, after a year in Penco ... I have come to love these people so much.

Even better than the stake conference on Saturday was the conference on Sunday. The talks were awesome -- all focused on the Atonement. I sang "Be Still My Soul" and I was so humbled be all of the compliments that I got. I am so glad that I can use my talents for something out here.

I also got the chance to go back to Frutillares for the second Sunday session. We had lunch with Hermana Solange ... it was like a dream come true. When we drove into Tome, it was bizarre. I have come down that highway three thousand times, but this time was so different. It was different because I am different. I am a better, happier person. When I walked into the chapel, I felt like crying. It was so familiar. It was like I had never left. I was bombarded by so many hugs and kisses and handshakes and I love yous ... I don't know what I did to deserve that much love.

This is the bulletin board in Frutillares.

It made me think about the law of the harvest. Like, what you sow you also reap. I thought about the process of sowing -- it makes you dirty and it is hard work, but the harvest is so great. As I looked out at the congregation of Frutillares, I was moved to tears. Look, there is Manuel! Look, there is Carlos (my golden investigator that stopped listening to us). There is the beginning of my harvest. It isn't going to stop. I will be harvesting for the rest of my life. As I took pictures with everyone, I felt so happy. I felt so complete.

We went and surprised the familia Cisternas. I snuck into their house 

(because their door was open) and when they saw me, they started to scream ... 

I hope it was because they were excited haha. I love them so much!!

Tomé is a sacred place for me. It will always be a sacred place for me, because really ... it was there that I learned to love the Savior. It was there that I had to depend so much on Heavenly Father's love and guidance. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave me the chance to be there. I promised everyone that I would come back, and I really hope that I can!

The Familia Cartes

To find out about cambios we had to take a picture with five dogs.
It didn't end up turning out to be too hard.

That was the perfect way to end off my cambio in Estaca Penco. We got cambios this morning and I am leaving ... but not too far. I am going to COLLAO (it is basically Concepcion)!! Which is my dream sector, the sector that I have been praying to go to all of my mission. Now I am going there to kill Hermana Quintana de Peru [For readers not familiar with missionary lingo ... Laney isn't actually going to kill anyone. It just means that her companion is finishing her mission and heading home in six weeks. :)]. Hermana Antillon is also going back to Chillan (they are closing our sector ... say what?). It was so crazy to hear that, but I feel like this is just another confirmation that God listens to my prayers. He really loves us, you know?

I hope you all have a great week! I love you so so much!!

Love, Laney

Our zone hoodies (there are latinos in our zone ... but none of them
wanted to buy hoodies -- too hot where they are from haha).

Week Forty-Nine: The Dream Team

With Hermana Romney

Area: Penco
Companion: Hermana Romney
Hermana Romney's blog: Crav, Penco

Oh man, familia ...

For the first time in a looooooooooooong time, this week has just flown by. Ayayayayaya. I am so happy and sooooo content ... it's like ... I don't know. I just feel way better. I feel way better about myself, about the work that I have done on my mission, about life. It's sweet.

Let's see ... from where we left off last week. Oh, I had to say goodbye to EVERYONE in Frutillares. This was super hard, because I love everyone so much. The good news is that I haven't even left the stake. Even though everyone was crying and Hermana Caceres was crying ... I was pretty dry-eyed. I was just filled with gratitude for my time in Frutillares. We ran EVERYWHERE. I tried soooo hard to say goodbye to everyone, but it was impossible. Right when we got in the collectivo to start heading home, I had to call Hermano Carlos Garrido to tell him that we weren't going to make it to his house. In that instant, I just started bawling. He was one of the most important people to me ... and I couldn't even say goodbye right. But I am just going to be in Penco. We are just going to be in Penco is my grand consolation (is that a word??).

Flor, Luis, Carolina, and Isidora Peñalillo

Noelia Sepulveda 

With Hermana Caceres

Andrea, Javiera, Fernando Solis Morgan

Maria Valenzuela (we reactivated her!)

Elias and Patricia Aldana

Familia Cartes (Diego, Kevin, Martin, Paz, Rodrigo, Magdiel)

Lissette

So, new comp. New area. New responsibility. Let's see ... I think I will start with new comp. Hermana Romney is amazing. She came on her mission with a purpose and her dedication just blows my mind. We are going to be working sooo hard and I love it. I haven't had a gringa companion in so much time. It's nice in a lot of ways, just because we can talk about a lot of different things and there really isn't any cultural barrier at all. We laugh and laugh and laugh together about whatever silly thing. I love being with her so much.

To answer your questions. Yep, she has got a brother in Vocal Point (according to the other gringa that we are living with, Hermana Osborne, all of her roommates in college had a huge thing for him. Mich). Yes, she is related to Mitt Romney. I think her dad is cousins with him or something. Yes, she is related to Marion G. Romney. Yes, her parents are the mission presidents in a CCM in the Dominican Republic. 

Pretty sweet, huh?

Basically, we are cleaning out Penco. I love doing this, because basically we are starting from square one. We didn't really have any good investigators and all of our menos activos are getting ready to finish their reteaching ... so we don't have anyone there either. We don't really understand the area yet, but the big blessing is that there are a ton of members that are willing to come out with us and show us around. We have actually found a lot of people through that. We basically call up a member for the whole afternoon and they show us around their neighborhood. It is so amazing because basically it forces us to work with the members well ... which is what we should be doing anyways.

There was one day that we went out with this member, Flor, for a looooong time. She was showing us around to a few menos activos, but nobody was home. Hermana Romney and I were both praying for a miracle to happen ... when we found two ladies on the street that Flor knew. One of them was a menos activa lady that hasn't been to church in a long time and the other was her daughter that isn't a member. We went into their house for a couple of minutes to teach them and we talked really briefly about baptism. The mom said, "This (pointing to the picture of Christ getting baptized) is the best decision that anyone can make." And her daughter said, "Yeah, I would like to do that." WHAT THE WHAT? What a miracle!

After that lesson, Hermana Flor made us feel awesome. She said, "Hermanas, you are going to do big things here. Don't ever lose the animo that you have. Ever. Because you two together are going to do things." And it's true. We are going to be doing a lot of things here in Penco. Hermana Romney and I are so excited to be here. It is hard starting from zero, but I know that we are just going to keep seeing miracles! I love it so much.

The other awesome thing about being in Penco is that I already know a lot of people here. The familia Ortiz lives here and they are related to a family from Frutillares. Also, we have choir practice on Sunday with all of the people that I love from Frutillares. It is SO perfect. I might end up having a gooooood chunk of my mission in this stake and I love it. I love being Eterna Blau because I have grown to love the people here so much.

I am just so happy. I have written that in my journal every day here. I am so grateful.

Being a Sister Training Leader is something that kind of blows my mind. I still feel like I am on a huge mini-cambio sometimes. I have noticed that my confidence in teaching has gone way up. I have put aside all of my fears of inadequacy and I have tried to throw myself out there ... amazingly, it has always worked. Last night, I had a little chat with Heavenly Father and apologized for hardly ever letting Him magnify my calling. I have always focused so hard on how imperfect I am and so much that I lack that I haven't really ever given Heavenly Father the chance to make me better than I am. It was an interesting realization.

We had a sweet little mini cambio in the middle of the week with some other STL in Collao. That was where I had my first mini cambio with Hermana Oldroyd, so I was so happy to return there. Hermana Romney stayed in Penco to be with Hermana Corbett (who just left Penco in this cambio). With Hermana Glazier, we were able to talk to so many people and I learned so much from her. It is amazing how different my mini-cambio was now in comparison with my first mini-cambio. I know a little bit more Spanish now. I know a little bit more about how to be a good missionary. I have changed sooo much. When I looked at the board for pijamadas, I didn't even see my name right away because it has faded with the time. Crazy stuff.

As I have been getting used to being a STL, the asunto of mission leadership has all started to make a little more sense to me. It makes sense why Elder Calizaya would ask me about things during Rendimiento de Cuentas. It makes so much sense why the Hermanas would always set goals with me in mini-cambios to improve. It actually blew my mind a little bit how informed everyone is about the missionaries. The work of the Lord is incredible and from this point of view, I am seeing it in a whole different light.

I guess that the main point of this email is to let you guys know that I am doing well. I feel really good about the mission and I am planning on taking advantage of every minute. I feel like a huge weight has been taken off of my shoulder because ... well ... I have let Heavenly Father take it off. I made myself suffer a lot when I was in Frutillares ... and now I feel like I am in a whole new, beautiful, crazy world.

I love you guys a lot! I hope that you have an awesome, Thanksgiving-y week. I don't think that anything crazy is going to happen here. It doesn't even feel like Thanksgiving to be honest ... besides the fact that we eat huge lunches always. But I think we are going to try to do something exciting. Tell everyone that I love them a lot!! I am thinking about you guys and praying for you! Thank you for all of your love and support!!

Love from Chile,

Laney

Week Forty-Eight: Chau, Blau ... On to New Adventures

Area: Frutillares
Companion: Hermana Caseres

Oh, dear family ...

I am so content. I am so so content. I am so so so ... well ... I guess you get the picture. I am feeling a little short for words ... so ... apologies in advance.

This week was great. We walked and walked and walked soooo much ... but it was still rewarding. We had a focus on finding this week, and Hermana Caceres and I knocked on so many doors and talked to so many people. We didn't see a dramatic increase in new investigators, but it feels good to plant the seeds and then watch them grow.

I think that the biggest thing that happened this week happened yesterday. The people heard that cambios were happening tomorrow (not sure how ... because I have said absolutely nothing about them), but the people just hugged me and hugged me and ordered me not to leave. In the sacrament talks, Carlos Garrido talked about how much we have meant to his family. I looked around and the chapel was filled! I don't know how to describe how I felt in that moment. It wasn't really pride in what I have done ... because I have only done so very little ... but Heavenly Father helped me to feel good about the little that I have done and it felt so good.

Margot, Maria José, and Juaquin

Manuel Aravena (our AWESOME INVESTIGATOR) and me

A surprise from yesterday ... right after the priesthood passed the sacrament, I looked behind me to count the number of menos activos that we had in the church. To my surprise, I saw MATIAS SEPULVEDA sitting in the very back. Remember that kid that we visited for the first time a couple of weeks ago?? Ahhhh, I was soooo sooo sooo happy. This was something that I thought would never ever ever happen in my time in Frutillares. After Sacrament, I went to hug Noelia and she said, "Hermana, thank you so much. I think we saw a little miracle today."

Noelia and Matias Sepulveda. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

This was another eye opener for me.

A little miracle.

Do you know how many little miracles I have seen on my mission? Do you know how many evidences I have seen that help me to KNOW that God lives? It is so incredible ... and what is more incredible is that we don't even realize when they are happening. It is only at the very end when we look back that they are oh so obvious. It is in the hugs goodbye that we see the depth of love. I want to get better at seeing the daily miracles ... but for now, looking at the things that have happened to me in my mission so far are enough.

Paz Cartes and me. We have to walk super far to visit this family and eat lunch with them,
but I love them soooo much! Paz reminds me of Minsy so much!!

Just like when I left the CCM, I can say that I feel content. I didn't do a perfect job here ... but I sure did the best that I could. I tried my hardest every day ... and I know that my time has been accepted by Heavenly Father. I didn't have that much success with my numbers, but during my time in Frutillares, I saw the attitude of the rama change. I saw attitudes and lives change. Making a real difference ... I don't know if I did ... but I feel like I helped a few people and loved a lot more. This cambio actually wasn't all that bad like I thought. I learned sooo much here ... I think that it will be like my holy ground for my life ... because I cried so much and hurt so much, but in the end, I GREW sooo much. I think that the biggest thing that I learned is that Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers. Every single night, I have felt so much relief while praying. I know that he hears me. I know it. And I know a little bit better how to hear him. It's awesome. It's something that I have always wanted to learn. I didn't know it would require so much, but I think that it will be worth it in the long run. It is so sad to go, but at the same time ... I think that I am ready. 

Last night, I got a call from President. My hands were shaking, shaking, shaking as I answered. My heart was pounding. President said, "God has extended the call as Sister Training Leader to you." I didn't even know what to say. I think I sounded stupid ... he asked me if I would accept the call and I just said, "Yeah, I think so." I am going to Penco (which is just thirty minutes away from here) to be with an Hermana that I hardly know, Hermana Romney. We are WHITEWASHING! Whooooooo ... It is going to be sooo interesting, working in a barrio again. The area in Penco is huge ... and we don't know anything about it. Ah ... I am excited. I am sooo excited. I don't know how I should feel.

The Hermanas of the Zone. Hermana Sheppard (Virginia, USA), Hermana Marroquin (El Salvador),
Hermana Ponce (Mexico), Hermana Lorea (Argentina) , Hermana Bucarei (Chile),
Hermana Tejerina (Bolivia), Hermana De Leon (Guatemala), Hermana Mendoza (Honduras)

Hermana Caceres is a little bit sad. She doesn't feel like she can take hold of the sector. She is a little nervous about her new companion because she is a little wild (or so the Hermanas say). But I KNOW that she is going to be fine. I am sooo proud that she is my daughter. It hasn't been the easiest ... this training thing. But I have felt so blessed as Hermana Caceres and I have been working together. She is such a wonderful missionary ... and I really have learned to see her as Heavenly Father sees her. It's awesome.

Doing service with a sweet hat!

Cleaning up with the familia Cartes after the font overflowed
for the baptism of Bastian.

I love my life. I love it a lot! I hope that I can be the kind of missionary that Heavenly Father wants me to be. I hope that I can be someone that he can be proud of. That is the most important thing. I also hope that I can keep seeing the little miracles in my life. They are there. They are always there.

I hope you have a great week! Just FYI, I am going to start having just one hour to write. Also, Skype for Christmas is going to be for 40 minutes. I love you all sooo much! Thank you for your prayers and support. Also, thank you so much for loving me. It means so much. Enjoy the winter wonderland! I think we are going to head to the beach. :) Also, Nandy!! HAPPPPPPY BIRTHDAY! :) I don't know anyone else's birthday ... could you send me dates of the close relatives so I can send a shout out? If I have missed a birthday, I am sooooo sooo sorry!

Love lots,

Laney

Tomé. This is the beach right outside of the chapel in Centro. Beaaaaautiful.