Backpacking through Patagonia

 

Familia!

What a week! Seriously crazy! Today we have had a couple crazy things so I’m just going to give you a couple classic points of the week. 

We ended the year right with an awesome new investigator! She is golden. We had one lesson with her and found out she had invited us in kind of secret because her husband isn’t really a fan of Mormons. 

So that made me a little nervous- so we just prayed and prayed because she is really, really receptivo. (receptive) Well we went back for our next lesson, I was ready to mention that we can´t meet with her if her husband isn´t down with it, when she explained that she talked to him about us, and that he is completely ok with us meeting with her! Wooohoo. 

Then we taught lesson one and it was so powerful. When we explained the first vision the spirit was so strong, we asked her how she felt to know this wonderful truth and she said that she felt something she has never felt before, that she has a weird feeling that feels good and that she just wants to hear more, she asked us to please tell her more. Right then we explained that it was the spirit and I asked her to be baptized at the end of this month- to which she said yes! 

I am so grateful for this experience because Heavenly Father literally just placed us in her path. She is so wonderful! Please pray for her, especially that her husband (or boyfriend- we still have to figure out the legal stuff...) heart will continue to be softened. 

The bus we ride

After this, we took the good ole crazy bus ride back to Coyhaique for intercambios. We were out of the sector for 5 days. Which is hard with our investigators and ward- but is so worth it. I love being a Hermana Lider (sister trainer) so much. 

New Years celebration

While in Coyhaique we celebrated New Years Eve with a familia of members from my companion’s old area. They are awesome-- as a service to the mission they feed us everyday we are in town-, which you have seen we travel a lot. But I am really growing to love them.  But we cheered the New Years in with good ole family home evening and toasting apple juice, and eating potato chips; cheese puffs with an avocado dip. 

We then had to be in the house of 2 of our hermanas early because of all the crazy parties are at 9 so we were in the house and playing Uno. :)  Ha-ha it sure was a crazy new years eve, Mormon messages, Uno and in bed by 11. 

But the next morning started immediately with a big Chilean tradition. When you see someone for the first time after the New Year you greet him or her with a huge hug, wish him or her a happy new year and give him or her a word of two of love and support. I love it. The only problem is we have been dodging men all week. Ha-ha our poor ward members keep forgetting. 

Aaaaalmost hugged my branch president. Oh the sin it would be. :)

But then new years day was normal- except lunch. It was a good ole ball family affair. We went to the countryside and sat down at the table and they proceeded to feed us for the next 2.5 hours straight. It was terrible! Terribly delicious, but oh boy this is the hardest part about being a missionary in Chile- They LOVE us. They feed us so much.  This is embarrassing to say, ha-ha, but I literally had to unzip my skirt a little. I have now eaten 4 lamb bbq's. And oh my, dear Chile. 

After that we worked as usual. No one was really up to listening to our message after a long night- but it was a good satisfying feeling to just keep working the whole day and to finish the first day of 2015 so tired from lots of walking and trying. 

Then intercambios were awesome. Seriously it rocks. We had a jammed awesome week. I was focused in on and had exchanges with two of our girls. One is 26 years old and the other is 32- both of whom are training. It was very interesting to be their ¨leader¨. It’s almost not fair to them because I was the one doing all the learning. It was very humbling and wonderful to be with these hermanas. 

We worked like crazy. For example in one day, really just under 6 hours we had 21 contacts- where we had taught a principle and all. And 9 solid lessons. I love being with new missionaries because there is an animo (encouragement) like none other. 

Yeah it’s the coolest spiritual experience to be a Hermana lider. But get this- its also just plain fun. I literally get to do ¨missionary camping¨.  I'm just backpacking my way through Patagonia with my little sleeping bag, testifying of this happy gospel, and crashing on the Hermana’s floors at night. 

Patagonia's Golden Gate Bridge

This week I got to know Aysen- Google it. It’s like Utah Mountains. (But not really at all.) And the golden gate bridge (again not really at all.) but it was a beaut and with really happy, happy people to teach! 

We have been busing around a lot. By the end of this cambio I’ll have been in just under 40 hours of buses. Which is cool- I really and seeing and living the Patagonia dream- (literally. do you like our buses name!) but its hard to be in the bus because its a lot of time wasted not teaching and its impossible to read and study because its so jerky. 

So I have started memorizing my patriarchal blessing. What a way to start the New Year off. I´m a good chunk thought and it’s amazing to really understand it word for word. And I have found myself finding things that connect to it in my scripture study or other ways in my day which I hadn´t realized before. 

Our cute little villiage

Oh I got to run- we´ve got a lesson with O in a couple because guess what- we have a baptism to plan! Woohhooo my next email will be filled with happy pictures of O's cute ill face and in all white! 

I love you family. Hope this New Year is the beeeeeest.

xoxo Hna ball