Missionary and professional puddle jumper

This week was crazy.  Yet, again I am writing from Coyhaique- meaning it was a get up at 4:30 kind of morning. I love these days! Also we are best friends with the bus driver. :) 

But first off all, the best part. O was baptized and oh boy was it an experience! Get this: 

So we went the day before the baptism to clean the font out because it’s been a while since there’s been a baptism- and the font is in a bottom of a shed-garage cut out thing. So the back is always open. Meaning, for who knows how long it’s been the house of cats. Yuck! Oh my scrubbing the cat urine for hours. 

But we finished and it was glowing and smelling real nicely of Clorox. (This is the real side of the baptism- not just the happy photos ha-ha) but we had it all ready and perfect for the next day. But then the next day we realized the water did not want to stay in the font. It would not fill up!

So we were just going to go have the baptism in the ocean- but she is scared of the sea. So we started to  filled it up with a little bit of warm water and an hour before the baptism, it was only a couple inches up. So with the sacerdocio (Priesthood members ) we took water jugs and sprite bottles full of cold-water jug for jug filling it up. 

While our branch president was looking for a hose- it was so stressful!  But turned out to be one of the coolest experiences. O’s son, who before didn´t really want much to do with us, was the one who had the hose. So he showed up and helped the priesthood as we kept filling. It was crazy awesome for him to get to know the men. 

We ended up starting the baptism an hour later, and there was such little water that she and president had to kneel to be able to be fully immersed. The water was cold and it was late. But as O came out of the water it was literally magic. She was smiling so big- did a double fist pump and just said; "yes yes yes yes!" Afterword’s the spirit was so strong and they bore testimonies of how truly this work is true and how it truly is a family. 

It was amazing to see. The young and the old just doing everything they could. And you could see it in O- that she didn´t care at all. They were all little details to her because she knew she was making a promise with God so all the rest didn´t matter. 

She is amazing. The next day she came to church ready for to receive the Holy Ghost with her pocket full of tithing. I am so grateful to be here. And excited to see her grow as a part of this family and see what happens with her son. After church we had a really strong lesson with him about baptism. He wants to pray to know- but doesn’t want to commit to anything. 

We don't have electricity in our bathroom so we have to use head lamps

But he loved the baptism, loved his mom’s faith, loved the branch and loved that it was her decision. And that dear family is what I love. 

I love this ward.

One family, he is our branch president. (The family from Christmas and every other happy thing- they are the ones on the bridge walking home from church.) I have plans to set Megan up with their son. Don’t stress Megs he is a gem-. 16 yrs. old. A little young but a real gem. Then i can really be family with him. We have discussed it all- they just want to know if you can make good bread. Ha-ha. So get on that. 

Also can I tell you how much I love my companion? I am sad to see her go. She finishes her mission tomorrow. And I love her so much. We really kicked it these last 6 weeks- and more than that we had some really crazy experiences. It was a crazy good cambio. (companionship)

This morning I found out who my new comp is going to be. I can’t remember her name, ha-ha, but she is from Central America! Wooohhooo. I wanted a Latina so bad. I am excited to meet her tomorrow! Stories to come!

But this cambio was crazy. We were out of our sector just under half the time (from the hospital, recovery and traveling.) Almost 3 weeks. And it’s been hard on our investigators to not be with them constantly. But it’s ok. I’m hoping to see some love these next couple of weeks. We really only have 2 investigators right now. F- who had to work the whole week and we couldn’t meet with her and S. We have faith. 

It’s also been hard because our other 4 investigators have or will be moving in these last two-week and next week. Haha but one funny quick story. One of these invests was M.

He is a captain at the navy base in Puerto Cisnes, because we are right on the ocean. So we were in the middle of our lesson when out of the blue he just got up and left. He was gone for a time and then came back like it was nothing and asked something about what we had been talking about with the Book of Mormon. We just went with it. 

Here’s what happened. His wife told us that the navy had brought in a ¨prisioner¨ from the nearest island and he can feel the difference in the boat motor when it is coming up because its a special boat or something so he felt it- knew it was his bad guy they had found and left to go deal with it with the police or something. Honestly we felt pretty cool to know him. Ha-ha. 

Because we live so far out we skype into district meeting

Also, this week we were looking for new people and found a colony of evangelicals. Literally just in the trees. A bunch of houses and they all were in skirts and stuff. No one opened the doors when we knocked. Only one lady opened a crack and the light was off so we couldn’t see her but she just kept whispering no. So that was fun. We felt like Book of Mormon characters knocking down the doors of the synagogue. 

Oh, and last week I forgot to mention I got Meg's letter in mom package and I love it. And I got Nato tomato’s card. Send more. They make me so happy. 

Oh Chilean tradition. 

So, the first 12 days of January are important because each day represents a month. The first is January, 2nd Feb., 3rd march, etc. And how the weather is that day represents how the weather will be for that month. IT’S GOING TO BE A RAINY year. We had literally 3 days of straight rain with out stop. Then the rest on and off and mostly on. I have become a professional puddle jumper! 

After the three days of straight torrential rain we had a minute of sun and immediately bought ice cream. I love serving with Hna S because we celebrate everything. Ha-ha. It’s so fun. Either with a treat, a high five or a good ole song and laugh. 

Oh, then get this, did you not love the pictures of my hike? Mom and dad, I literally thought of you the whole time (not really, I was in awe) but I did think of you in like 2 seconds and how much you are going to love it here. It was the coolest hike I have ever had in my life. 

About and hour and a half up. Through green, green and crazy green. Then we had to trudge rivers and all the while it was pouring rain. I look happy and warm and it looks sunny. No lies. We were completely soaked through, it was no use to have the black raincoat. Ha-ha. It was so happy. 

Then we get the top, after passing about 3 waterfalls and get to the lake. Crazy. Then back down and at one point we were up to our ankles in mud just trudging. Sooo fun. We went with familia suarez. They are rock stars. 

Well family. I love you so much. Hope you had a happy week. 

xoxo Hna Ball