Can you believe next week is April??!!
How crazy is that! Want to hear something even crazier?
ha
This week I completed many different life goals.
The first is I learned how to make Chilean Lemon pie! Its pretty much the best thing ever so learning to make it was essential. Mom said my last letter was only about food so I am going to try and not talk about it much in this letter...which is hard because I am hungry..
But anyways...Carolina (basically my best little 18 year old friend here....3rd companion....star member ward missionary) taught me! We had a lovely time making it. Then it was time to go home for the night so me and Hermana De Leon started walking home....with the pie in my arms. We were normally walking along...singing...saying hola to every creature....when a pack of dogs ran by. About three different ones came and crashed into me with such force that I completely fell down...and the pie went up up up and down down down on the ground. Rey triste.
At first my companion was only worried about our smashed pie...and then she saw my arm.
I had happened to fall on glass (as there is glass and trash in every inch of the streets here) and scraped up my arm and hand pretty bad. We ran home and spent the next hour trying to dig out the glass and stop the blood. My arm survived. But sadly the pie did not. Just another experience that makes me wish there were pounds here. Really...WHERE ARE THE POUNDS??
Other life goal completed
Our relief society has been having knitting parties every saturday. We take our older investigators to them and its great. Except I cant knit. I have tried thousands of times....well okay maybe only like four or five times in my life....
But it just hasnt been something I have been able to do.
Luckily I live with the amazing and incredibly patient Hermana Tejerina....who spent 6 hours with me as I cried..threw fits...threw needles...and just COULD NOT learn how to tie those tiny knots.
But miracle of all miracles....last night I finally figured it out. Hermana Tejerina cried tears of joy that she did not have to resist the urge to suffercate me anymore.
I plan to make everybody scarfs! But first me....because its really cold here now!
Oh Hermana Tejerina...such patience. Anyone who can be patient enough with me to teach me both spanish AND how to knit! What a rockstar.
Last Monday we had an activity for the hermanas at the house of the president. I love going to his house. It has carpet!!! And you dont have to wear your shoes inside! Or a sweatshirt or kill bugs every five mins! Its basically heaven!! We ate french toast which was great...but they had WHIPPED CREAM!! Oh such tears of happiness.
To try and get people to our English class, we have turned it into an English/American foods class. Last week we made brownies. Brownies are kind of a magical thing here. Everyone knows what they are...but no one knows how to make them or really what they are. People were fascinated. It was pretty funny. They didnt turn out too great but you would have thought that I set pure gold on the table.
Saturday I needed to stay at a ward activity to our convert Maria...but we had some appts far away so my companion took a member and went and did that. I walked Maria back to her house and waited for my companion there. She took a really long time coming to get me so I got to hang out with Maria for awhile. Her daughter is a profesional chef of pastries or something. She came out and said "What American food have you been missing lately?". I have thought about that a lot and without hesitation said "pancakes". Not only did she make me wonderful pancakes with manjar and dulce de leche....but also amazing fried fish....and hot chocolate and basically I was in heaven.
Opps. I have already spent half this letter talking about food.
Okay. We have been setting really high goals for contacts lately. This last week we were returning back to our house at night but still had about 15 more contacts to reach our goal. We passed a soccer game and counted the players on the field. 15. Perfect. We thought maybe if we just kind of stood on the side of the field they would stop the game and we could contact them all at once. But they didnt. We didnt have much time so I basically just ran out into the field yelling in english and they all stopped and looked pretty surprised. We were able to give them all a nice little presentation and invite them all to church. A few of them seemed interested. A few threatened us and told us to get off the field. We`ll see what happens. It was pretty funny. My poor companion...I don't think she ever knows what to do with me.
That is super cool about your missionary experience yesterday! It is amazing how some people are just so ready and prepared! Members are so important to have in lessons. We have been teaching this one lady for probably three months now. She has made progress in different areas but just never commits to baptism. We had pretty much given up on her when we passed by her house with a recent convert. We had him share his baptism experience and this lady who is always so hard...and who we just have not been able to connect with cried. And committed to baptism!! Oh the members are so important!!
Our little family has been struggling but I think they are finally back on track. They have a little daughter who is 2 years old and pretty much the most darling thing on this earth. She will run up to me and yell "asha"...the closest thing she can say to orchard. It melts my heart. Oh please pray for them!
Chile is the best! I never want to leave. I can't imagine the experiences and love I would have missed if I had decided to not serve a mission. There is nothing better. I am convinced of that with 200% of my corazon.
Have a great week!!
Hermana Orchard
