Week 11

Hermana Royal and Hermana Jones in La Serena Chile

Early morning hike. Very cold. Hermana Royal and Hermana Jones

Hola mi familia y otros amigos fieles!

Como le va este semana? It sure sounds like an eventful week! Congratulations to Amy for being finished with school! I remember how GOOD it felt to be done. College is a million times better, but Amy, you best not get married at BYU-I while I'm gone. I loved seeing the pictures of Amy´s graduation... though I tried to ignore that Amy is wearing my favorite sweater... She is lucky I am on the other side of the world... haha jk I hope you all enjoy the trip to Utah and give Gramps and the family lots and lots of love for me. I can´t believe this week is the year marker for grandma. I wish I could be with the family, but know that I will be thinking a lot about you guys.

This upcoming week is going to be ALL KINDS OF CRAZY. because... drum roll... we have 3 baptisms! Carla, Pablo y Eliud! Yesterday and Saturday they all passed their interviews so, its mas o menos official. (although, we all know the word official doesn't exist in the mission.) So basically for the next week we are going to be running around in all directions organizing the baptisms, wedding and reception details. Today Hermana Jones and I are going to the mall to look for new skirts to wear because we are SO EXCITED. haha I really feel so blessed to have this success. I attribute all of it to obedience. I can't even begin to emphasize how important is Obedience if we are looking for blessings.

Lets see, I am having a hard to thinking about things to write, so I am going to compile a list of things I am going to miss about Chile.

1. La Ferria. The ferria is something that we definitely don't have in the United states. The best way to describe it is.. an out door swap market, but really that doesn't do it justice.Every Wednesday and Saturday, outside of our apartment, basically everyone in Billador lines up and down the streets to sell there fruits vegetables, fish, clothing, toys, furniture, EVERYTHING. Its like a million mini garage sales. I love the smells and the wide variety of people the we find. Sometimes. Hermana Jones and I set up a booth and hunt people down to visit. hah we lure them in with "free books and pamphlets and movies" and then we take their name and direction and visit them in there houses. haha it is very fun and also scary and the same time, because we have to be very aggressive and talk to everyone!

2. The Mani train- Hah ok so mani means peanut. I really want you guys to have the chance to meet the peanut train man. aha He basically walks up and down the streets Morning and Night with a train, complete with whistle and steam selling peanuts, He must be 70 or 80 years old. He whistles and sings and makes me happy every time we pass him. They don´t have ice cream trucks here (because their ice cream trucks are Gas trucks) but they do have the mani train hah

3. The directions of Chileans. Haha if a Chilean is giving us directions to there house, they never give us a number, because lots of houses don´t have numbers. Rather, they tell us."Its the house with the black fence with the Dogs out front." Haha literally EVERY house has a black fence and Every house has dogs out front.

4. Evangelical Preachers who set up mega phones in the streets and preach to know body. My first time I saw this, I thought they were declaring war.

Haha I dont know if you will find these things entertaining, but I sure do! I really have come to love this country. It feels like home to me now.

Any-who, I am sorry my email is so boring today. ahah My brain feels a little fried, But I love you all! I always feel so happy when I have an abundance of emails in my in box of Mondays so keep it up! Also, I am very excited to get this package. haha I hope it comes quickly. Even though it is summer for you guys, It feels like Christmas time for me, so I will consider it my Christmas present! haha Mucho Amor Familia mia.

Su Misionera Favortita,

Hermana Royal

P.S.

Sorry that I don't have any photos, but I never have time to take pictures! haha

Hope you enjoy these ones!

This first one is from a early morning hike that we did as a district... it was freezing cold and we waited 2 hours for the sun to come up.. lets just say it was kind of a let down... haha

The second is Hermana Jones and I in La Serena Central