Hola!
Wow! Can you believe we are starting a new year? How sad! 2014 has been so wonderful and I just dont want it to end! I dont want anything to end...ever. Especially my mission...but I´m not going to cry right now.
After weeks of crying thinking that I was going to leave Hualqui today......guess who will have 8 months in Haulqui....ME! I will!! I will stay in Haulqui! My real home forever! I am insanely happy to be able to stay here for 6 more weeks and finish my mission here....but leaving here after 8 months....not a pretty thing. Oh well. It will be all of you that will have to deal with that change!
The sad thing is that my favorite fellow gringa is leaving me! Hermana Vawdrey is leaving and I didnt realize how sad I would be about that. I have loved reading her journel and singing high school musical with her all through the night. It´s been fun. And I will miss her.
I get to stay with my little daughter and finish her training. I am so happy for that. Hermana Monroy is the absolute best and I love her so much! I learn so much from her every day! Like this week she tried teaching me how to dance salsa. Tried. Good luck to anyone who tries teaching me how to dance. But she is just the sweetest thing and we get along so great. I already have plans to visit her in Gautemala. I am happy we have 6 more weeks to sing different harmonies of "Alleluja" in the streets.
Tuesday we had a nice long trip to Chillan where our entire mission gathered for a Christmas conference. It was so fun seeing old companions and friends all in one place!
Christmas eve we went out to the country and tried to find some people. It was fun but I kept falling down and came back quite the mess. We were supposed to have a christmas dinner thing with a family at 8 but when we got there the family said they couldnt anymore. There was absolutly no one in the streets and no one even looked out their window when we knocked doors. So we ended up sitting at a bus stop singing hymns for a couple hours. It was really cold and we were hungry but all the stores were closed so we only could eat banannas when we got home. We thought it was a pretty lame Christmas. Then Chely called crying saying that her parents had kicked her out of her hosue. So we walked to pick her up. And it broke my heart to see it. Christmas eve and her parents kicked her out of her house....because she is going on a mission. We took her back to our house and made a weird dish out of rice and bread then put her to bed. We spent the night writing letters to Chely and each other and making little gifts and putting them under the paper tree on our wall. And somehow in doing all of that I felt better. Because even though I wasnt with my family...I know my family will never kick me out to the streets. And I started thinking about all the people here. Mostly the woman. They are so strong.
Ellie...a year ago her mom got run over by a bus right in front of her house. She has no money and has to work 15 hours days in a field moving around metal just to buy a little bit of bread. But she told us she is always hungry and there is never enough food. She doesnt even have enough money to wahs her clothes with soap. Her husband beats her all the time and forbids her to go to church. Her kids are out of control and always drugged. She doesnt have any friends or anyone to help her yet still prays for her kids constantly. And when her husband is too drunk to know...she sneaks to church sundays.
Maria..She has 6 kids. Her husband got excommunicated a couple years ago because he had a child with another woman. But she forgave him. And keeps forgiving him when he doesnt pay for this other child and has to go to jail for a couple weeks. She has a son with lots of disabilities and doesnt have any money either. She has to work all day every day...but even with that she finds time to lead the ward choir and give us missionaries lunch every week. And accompany the missionaries. And deliver bread to sick people.
Iileen...her husband left her when she had three little kids. He left her with literally only a couch in the middle of the street. Somehow she alone built herself up and raised her kis. Now she lives alone with her 30 year old son who has down syndrome. She is the most grateful person I know and is constantly giving and sharing. Literally the sweetest person I have met.
Marta...her husband left her. · of her 4 kids dont talk to her or visit her. She lives alone with one son who has really strong drug problems and steals all her stuff to but drugs. Last month he stole her sewing machine...she works as a seamstress. Now she has no way to work or pray for food or anything. But somehow she still sings to us, laughs and is always the first one in church.
And then there is Chely. I wont give her life story but she is amazing and inspires me so much every day.
Sometimes I wonder why there is so much suffering. Why some people have lifes so easy...when others have it so hard. But really God tries his strongest people. And thanks to Chrismtas...that Christ lived and died for us...all this suffering will go away. But the amazing thing is that we dont have to wait for the life after to rest from our suffering or to have peace. With Christ we can have peace now. We can be happy! It may seem impossible at times...but really that is the miracle of the atonement. And I´m so grateful for it. And I love the people her so much. They amaze me. And one day...maybe a million years from now I can be just half the people they are.
Yesterday was special. We were able to go with Chely to her going away party that the relief society threw for her. It was amazing to see everyone come together and give just little things...but all the little things added up and she has everything she needs for her mission now. Which is good because she confessed to me last week that she cant sleep because she is so worried about money. But the whole thing was really sweet.
Christmas morning we all opened our little presents....Chely said it was the first Christmas she had presents. We got to call home and at night went caroling with the elders. It was a good day.
Mostly I am happy today to be here in Chile. I love Chile and I love being a missionary. God loves me too...becuase He is blessing me so much. 8 months is a place so beautiful and wonderful...
Love you all! Hopefully no one put pictures of your Christmas presents on facebook...I hate when people do that.
Hermana Orchard
