Falling Chili Chile

Hola Hola from the not so sunny south!

Yes. Autumn has hit! Last week I even had to bring out my huge snow jacket and scarf. The days are still hot hot hot...but at night the temperatures drop like...70 degrees. But I am happy because..

    Cold nights mean

                More empanadas to keep us warm while walking (and more fat on our bodies to help with the cold too)

              Hot Bolivian soups every night! I am so thankful that my bolivian companion forces me to try her weird (but wonderful) concotions

               People feel bad for us walking in the cold and more easily let us in

                

And one day....it RAINED!!! I love rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I say that now...they tell me to wait til rainy season and I will be ready to go back home.

    This week was really great. And just to clear up the confusion...next monday is cambios. I still have at least one more week with my companion.

One of my favorite hermanas in the ward called us tuesday and said she had a present for me. We went to her house...and not only had she made my favorite thing ever (sopa pies with manjar)...but she had knit me a beautfiul scarf...and this chilean shirt/sweater thing. Ill send pictures one day. She just KNEW the weather was about to change! And it just made me happy.

We prayed for a miracle with our little family...and got a miracle.
We randomly passed by their house one day,,,and they let us in. And we had a really awesome lesson. And they came to church yesterday! Not only did they come to church...but they got up and bore their testimonies! All three of them...at the same time..together! It was the sweetest thing. I was actually really nervous through it...but they talked about how much the gospel has changed their lives...how Alejandro is going to get baptized next week (that was a surpirse for us!) and cried. And after the whole ward hugged them and gave them all their chilean love. And little Antonia loved nursery. And everything was just great. Bascially they are golden. 

Another exciting thing happened at church. 

Background story.

My companion has this boy. He is kind of like an old boyfriend...who still likes her...and she kind of likes him. Well she is just not sure. Anyways...he lives in Santiago (about 8 hours away). Last week he emailed her saying he had a surprise coming. Naturally we all got really excited..he sends wonderful packages of chocolates and stuff.

So we are sitting there in church...when guess who walks in!

Awkward....incomfortable..shocking moments. haha

Dear companion didnt know what to do. 

Eventually she just shook his hand..said hola...and we left to teach a class. After a very uncomfortable moment. After class he waited for her outside...for a good while. And then left. 

How sad..he came 8 hours only to say hola. 

It was weird.  But kind of funny.

Anyways. We found this awesome man who has two of the cutest little boys ever. One of them is 1 year old and literally never stops laughing and smiling. His wife died 4 months ago. And we taught him..and he seemed golden. Perfect. Great lesson...invited him to baptsim..."I think I´ve already been baptized"...Turns out that he is just another very less active member. That happens too often. We have about 900 people on our rolls for church. And about 70 come each sunday. We dont know where have the people live...if they have died or anything. Its a mess. And that is why our new focus is to reactivate people. Which is good. Its time to clean things up a bit...organize the lists....figure out whats going on...bring people back (who dont even know they are members) all that fun stuff.

Saturday night..we were really far from our apartment and in a really sketchy area. NO ONE has cars here....but there is one menos activo that has a car. And he drove us home! I cant even remember the last time I drove in a car...well it was 6 months ago. It felt SO weird! But it was really fun!

Today we went to a beach again. The elders were in charge. I´m not sure why they are ever in charge of anything. They had us hike up this crazy mountain...and then down this sleep sloop where everyone was falling the whole way. I twisted my knee weirdly. Hopefully nothing happens with that. We did go to this cool private beach with caves and stuff...but honestly after walking all day everyday..I just wanted to sleep. Then we walked back and started a bonfire to cook our lunch. But no one knew how to start a fire---and after two hours we just went to the little stores above and bought cookies. And used a random ladys bathroom. Who happened to love mormons...and missionaries...and AMERICANS! (no one here likes americans). We got about 10 hermanas together and we all sang for her. And the spirit was so strong. And it was just so great. And I realized that I probably have more hymns memorized in spanish than I do in english!

Anyways, thats about it for the week. This internet cafe is really hot and im tired and have sand all over me. I think we are gonna leave early.

Have a great week everyone!

Hermana Orchard

A couple photos from the beach today