Hermana Ball: The most wonderful time of the year: hiking!

I say this every single week- but this week was the craziest week. Let me tell you!

First of all, I am so stinking pumped for Christmas- yeah, it will be cool to talk to you. But more so, we are having 100 crazy parties. Seriously, we are doing it Ball family style.

Christmas Eve- with our branch pres. family- who is the coolest cats ever. Christmas day with our papitos- we´re going to be roasting lambs. Seriously, like "my big fat Greek weeding" but "my stinking awesome Chilean Christmas."

Then we have a branch party- yes, roasting more lambs. Tomorrow we have a big Christmas dinner with president and the zone. Oh my gosh, I can't wait to talk to you and tell you everything about my happiest life ever.

Anyways why this week was the craziest.

Monday- we had an awesome FHE (family home evening) with S and M. We played "telephone" and then explained how it is like prayer. There are different way to try and communicate with God. But a lot of time the ways are different, etc. (because they have been struggling with the whole form of prayer) then we explained that God has revealed how we can talk with Him so the whole message gets to him. And they got it. That’s what I love about being a missionary. When they get it.

Then get this.

So super long story short- my companion had a problem with her foot- she got a cut or something and then it got infected with a fungus or something. So now I am all "Lyle Ball" freaking out with Clorox. Ha-ha. But we ended up in the hospital for 3 days and 2 nights.

Now it is all good and well. The foot is fixed. But oh, it was so crazy. It was the first time she has been hospitalized so she was really scared- so I pulled a "Lyle Ball" and convinced the hospital to let me sleep over night- something that they never allow.

Well they let me and I had a hospital chair or cement tile bed. But it was worth it. It really was an awesome growing experience for my comp and me.

Also, it was funny. We contacted everyone in the hospital and had a couple cool lessons. We had a roommate- L. Who is 24- she was there alone so we got to know her really well. We talked a lot about who is God and all. It was really interesting. We had a power moment with her- they were trying to put the needle in her arm and couldn’t get it and tried and tried and she was getting really stressed and scared. So the nurses left the room and it was just us- so we taught her about prayer and asked if we could say a pray to help her feel peace and to help the nurse find the vein in her arm.

We then said a prayer and right as we finished the nurses came in- and immediately found the vein. I was sitting there holding her hand and she when they got it she just looked up at me. I can't really explain it. But it was really, really powerful.

She also is a number one fan of the churches magazine "the Liahona" and efy music. haha.

It was definitely an interesting experience- exhausting and terrible and so long. But cool thing, I ended up reading 50 something chapters of the missionary and war chapters of Alma in Spanish. So cool- to be able to read it straight like a book. It was like "Hunger Games" all over again- seriously there was a time where my companion was trying to talk to me and I was all "a-huh, yeah, ok mhhh¨ and she’s like "you aren’t even listening". But it was to crazy I just couldn’t stop.

But when we got out of the hospital we were on house arrest. We could only leave for the two ward activities we had. They were awesome.

First, we had a Book of Mormon thing- so cool. I love my little branch. Then we all watched the Christmas devotional. We were all on the look out for you all (Hna ball's white gringo family hahaha) but no luck. Then we had a second activity were we had a Christmas party with the relief society.

Then we got to leave to for our first appointment- ooooh boy. We were so happy- it was with O. Who has been so well prepared- but get this. She´s going to be baptized The 10th of January! Wooohoooo. We love her. Oh boy. What I love about O is she had a very strong testimony of the priesthood. She received a blessing for health and immediately felt something- and she knew it was Heavenly Father's love. Also, she loves the santa cena (sacrament)- and that is what I love.

Now I am writing you all from Coyhaiue. This morning we woke up at 4:30 and took the 4-hour bus ride into town to have a sweet day with 2 of our girls. We went to a national park here- mom and dad your going to LOVE Chile. Seriously.

We are going to be here in Coyhaique for a couple days then head back for Christmas eve night and Christmas at home in good ole Puerto Cisnes.

I love this season so much. This has been such a fun Christmas and the crazy hasn´t even started.

I love being a representative of Jesucristo all the days. But especially this month it has been really, really cool. I know that He lives. sí o sí. I love this Christmas.

I love you. nos vemos prontoooooo. (see you soon)

xoxo Hna ball

Photos.

Last week’s p-day adventuring old wrecked boats.

A couple gems of our sector- I really am living in paradise- yeah it rained the most part of the week- But I love it.

Good ole Simpkins family nature tree. Ha-ha, my companion thinks we Americans are crazy- I’ve tried explaining it’s just my family, but ha-ha.

Also, the little Santa thing is our city center square. That’s about as crazy as Chile gets. Bishop Ostler's house alone has more than all of Puerto Cisnes. (Oh, that Ostler's sinking Christmas tree.)

Then today’s gems. We just got back- I still got the smell of lake of pines and all things happy to me :)