Hi fam!
So last week, Hna Cortes went to say goodbye to one of her sectors, and let's just say 8 hours on a bus wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my P-day, but it went well and we're all just hunky-dorey. President has allowed the missionaries that are leaving say goodbye to 2 sectors, on P-days. So that's where we were.
This week has been one of ... a lot of different emotions and crazy ups and downs, but mainly we're just going through the pleasant refiners' fire that leads us all to become better people and come out on top as the people that we're really meant to be. Lovely how sometimes you feel like a tube of toothpaste at the end of its life... squeezing all that you can out of the little top because you know that there's just a little bit in there. Even when you think you've given it all you've got, the Lord knows that you've got a little more left to give and so He invites you to give it all up. Invites you to love the people that are prickled with thorns, invites you to be patient with your companion who loves to walk slow, invites you to teach and testify to everyone you see (and when was the last time that was easy for anyone?). Because He knows you can do it. He knows you've got enough toothpaste in there to make a pearly smile one day...
There were several miracles that God helped us with this week! We found a woman, Abigail, from knocking her door, and after a lesson about the restoration and an explanation of the Book of Mormon, turns out she was curious and wanted to know more. She was well into the Book of Mormon by the time we met with her again. And told us that she was probably going to start over because it was probably really important. okay, thank you Heavenly Father.
Also, Jose Luis has had some trouble giving up drinking. But, after really stressing the importance of repentance and the strength that we can receive from righteous friends, reading in the Book of Mormon, praying and going to church, he DIDN'T DRINK! At his brother's birthday party...just a coke. Yeah, I just read through that sentence again and realized that in normal, non-missionary life that wouldn't have made me half as happy as I felt when I found that out. But, it's really so great when you see the changes that come slowly and surely into a person's life as they let the gospel envelope them.
As far as Petronila goes, she is just a hoot all the time. She is hesitant about getting baptized not for the commitment or for the enduring to the end that comes after. No, she is hesitant to get into the water for several reasons that I have not had to deal with yet on the mission: 1. She doesn't want to slip. 2. She doesn't want to drown. 3. She doesn't want to catch pneumonia in the bathroom when she has to change. 4. She doesn't want to leave with wet hair.
We're gonna get the space heaters and the hair dryers and the towells ready in the bathroom, but you can only assure a Chilean so many times that going from a very warm place to a cooler place will not cause you to catch a cold. I'm not quite how that tradition got started.
I love you all so much! I hope that you are all doing well, and living up life. This experience is the most unique thing that I have ever done, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but I hope you know that you owe me big time to catch up when I get back :)
xoxoxox
tu hermana
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