I´m not alowed to hold babies here but every once and awhile I see them. There is so much innocence and perfection in them. And then I see the rest of the world and wonder how we grow so far from the perfect state we were in.
It seems like my mission call has been to convert the drug dealers of Chile..which has taught me more than I could have imagined. The power and importance of our small day to day decisions and the potential that all of us have to change. Not just small changes...but 100% change!
I cant look at any person the same anymore. The teenagers and drunk men smoking in the streets and robbing in the night I can now see sitting in church, teaching lessons and preparing for the temple and missions.
God never gave up on us. How can we ever give up on anyone else?
I had kind of a hard week. I had to say goodbye to my best mission companion. I had to continue sleeping in this house after our front door broke off . I´m training again (a girl from Urugauy) which is really fun but always a little difficult. And my leg started really hurting again after the doctor said there is nothing more he can do. We had some hard things happen with the members and people here and I started to find myself wanting to change some things. I wanted to be able to write my own story and have things go MY way. I lost some trust in God´s plan for me because, well I just didnt like it! And then I thought back on all the difficult things in my life. All the stories I wanted to end my way. Would I really go back and change any of it if I could? No. Maybe I dont know all the reasons behind my life earlier...or now. But I know God loves me and all people enough to write a better story than we ever could.
Maybe I dont want to change the story because I dont know what a different ending holds. Theres a reason I am not writing the story and God is. He knows how it all works out, where it all leads, what is all means. I dont.
Sometimes I want to go to a safer place. Or I think of all the times after elections when we talked about escaping to the mountains and crazy stuff like that. But really that is all silly. God is in charge. There are no ïfs¨in God´s world and no places that are safer than others. The center of His will is our only safety.
Training is fun! I always enjoy it! My new baby is a quiet thing from Uruguay. The first day I took her contacting in the cemetary. She thinks I´m weird probably haha. But its fun! When I went to pick her up at the mission office I was able to see all my old companions and friends and it was just like a reunion in heaven!
Last week when I was scared and needed help....I called my favorite member...Aracely...at 5 in the morning. She ran to our house in the rain and stayed with us for 5 days! She is a super strong thing and I felt super safe with her! She´s also here now reading what I am writing...she cant understand any of it though! But basically what I am trying to say is that the friends I am making here...well its just 10000x worth all the bad stuff that happens. Who would have thought I could have such best friends all the way down here at the end of the world....and in a little town hidden in the mountains. Really nothing is coincidence. I love all these people so much. Heaven is going to be such an awesome place!!!!!!
Love you all!
Dont worry about me...I am safe! And if anyone thinks about calling president to get me moved....I will never talk to you again!! I love Hualqui and plan to stay here forever!!!
Hermana Orchard
