The festival of the fried sin...

¨Gods plan is total victory. ¨

I have found a new way to work towards this ¨total victory. ¨  This week I started what is called the 40 day fast. I love it. What we did is made a promise with Heavenly Father to fast for 40 days to truly have the spirit with us. 

We started with a fast to look for the things that are withholding the spirit in our lives. Through out the 24 hours I had a post it in my agenda and wrote down the little details of every little thing. Then I took 5 of the biggest, or what I see as the most spirit impeding things and wrote them out. Then I wrote out 5 replacements- a couple things for each of the 5 I can do when this habit starts up. 

We started this week to fast from each of these 5 things, and will do so, praying for help in the morning, writing each night on a little journal page what happened with each of the five, how I saw the spirit more in my life, and then praying for help and strength and forgiveness. It is amazing.  Hard and amazing. I love having the spirit. And this week we truly saw miracles. In a big and clear way. 

And speaking of the ayuno (the fast), a bit ago I told you about O’s baptism and her son J. We have not been able to find or teach him because of his work schedule since then. This week we had a lesson with O about the ayuno (fast) and because this next week is first Sunday we offered to fast with her in a cause, if she wanted- for her first ayuno (fast). We are going to be fasting for her son J. For him just to have the time to feel the spirit. I am very excited because with O’s faith, we have it in the bag :) 

I still just can´t even explain all of the tender mercies we had this week. Down to the dogs- seriously. Get this, so we had 30 minutes left of the day and didn't know where to go. So we said a prayer and started down the street to a contact. This street has the most dogs and with my 7 weeks in Puerto Cisnes, I have only made it to the end 2 times. Ha-ha. But we went, rocks in hand, ready to fight off the dogs. We knock her door and the dogs start up- 9 of them just going crazy. It was actually quite scary. 

But we keep trying to talk to her over the sound and it wasn't working. We start talking about God and literally the dogs all left and it was so peacefully quite. We had a lesson about God's nature- how He is our Father and His plan. We testified and right as we finished we went to ask when we could return and all the dogs came back a howling. We walked away in shock it was crazy to see an answer and help so completely there. 

Other miracle, S. We had a couple super awesome experiences with her this week. First starting with her birthday. (Mom do you like her necklace?  Thank you for sending it for me because- it is completely perfect for her! She loooves it.) But we made a big deal- singing for her at work and stopping by with the little gift and a big card with a specific scripture for her and all. It was so good- and so fun to see her so happy. I think we were the only ones who celebrated or really acknowledged it was her birthday. But oh boy I love her. 

Then we had a great lesson. She is really into the whole nature, moon cycles and women power stuff. Its pretty cool but we have been teaching a lot about the sacerdocio (priesthood) and authority and prophets and we had a really, really strong lesson with her. And I think she got it! That’s the best part. Slowly and slowly I am seeing a change in her and its such a happy change. Because all of her doubts are slowly becoming things of joy and understanding. 

Then on Sunday she came to church! This was huge, best, best, best. And get this, so president told me right before the sacrament I was needed for a talk.  So with .2 seconds to think, I gave the first talk, which I love now. Before it scared me to death to just get up and give lessons and now it is my very, very favorite. 

But I used the time to just testify and teach of the Book of Mormon and a couple doubts that S had- to her but using the spirit of the sacrament mtg.  It was perfect because then we had 2 testimonies and they both got up and literally said they want to testify of my words and testify of the book of Mormon and they were such great testimonies. It was so cool to see this sacrament mtg for her- because it wasn’t just the missionary teaching this things, but the members. Love! 

Plus 100 other straight up crazy awesome spiritual awesome things but I only have a tiny bit of time left so the funnies. 

This week I started wood chopping lessons for one of our 35-year-old members. Ha-ha so fun. I love my mission. 

The sun came out like none other!  I really haven’t seen sun since Mexico- I send home a lot of happy photos. But this week I got fried. Like more than our 20 miles kayak at Powell. Fried. Ha-ha the people love it because now I am a little Chilean. But the members are so cute every house giving me creams and sunblock.  

Then we had a cool little service project on the beach with an inactive and her friend helping them collect wood for fires in their houses. Sooo good to be on the beach. Love, love, love. 

This week we have a big festival. The festival del pescao frito (festival of the fried fish). But I kept telling everyone how excited I was for the festival del pecado frito (festival of the fried sin). Sometimes I feel like I am still in my training ha-ha.

But the funniest and weirdest of the week. 

So we eat lunch with members every Saturday. And when we finish we always ask what we can do to help them. With different answers- dishes, chopping wood, etc. this weeks... "hna ball, can I have a bit of your hair.¨  Umm what? Ha-ha, so I was like "yeaaaaah. Why?"  And she is the cutest lady. She is like "I just need to cut a little bit it's perfect."

Ha-ha and I am just looking at my companion and seeing that this member is the best and always helping us and we did ask what we could do, so I am all- ok. Sure. 

Turns out its same color as a dolls she is making and wanted to use it for eyelashes or something. She said she would show me the doll when she finished. Ha-ha, so they literally cut a chunk out of the part hidden in the back by my neck.

And lastly, the other night I jumped up to get ready for the day. Kneeled and started my prayer and then I don’t remember anything else-  but I fell asleep. 

And I am not sure how much time later I woke up with my knees literally killing and I am all confused and its soo dark and I look at my watch- just after 1 in the morning. I´m not sure how long I had been there sleeping- but it perfectly explains it. I looove my mission. Dead serious. I love it everyday. And its funny because things like this keep happening because in my sleep I get so adjusted just laying there or not working I find myself getting ready or praying or dreaming of the day before it starts. 

I love it here. I love it, I love it. Right now we are writing from Coyhaique, we have the next days full of the Hna lider intercambios (Sister training) with the girls and I am so exited. I loove it.

I love ya'll. xoxo Hna ball