Bienvenidos Chile!

Feb 16th

Alright I will keep it short!

This week has been a week of mixed emotions. I said goodbye to all my friends in the CCM and I was on a plane for 13 plus hours....and I got 0 hours of sleep...Monday and Tuesday were kind of a blur, but it was so good! I landed in Chile and we met our mission President and his wife! They are seriously the BEST!! I can´t wait to get to know them more these next couple months.

My companion´s name is Hermana Canchán. She is from Guatemala and she is finishing up her mission with ME! She is super nice and very patient with me and my Spanish. I had a rude awaking this week when I realized I don't speak the language. You know that moment in the Best two years when Elder Calhoun hears Dutch for the first time and says "this is not the language they taught me in the MTC" yeah that pretty much describes my thoughts exactly. It has been crazy. They speak so fast. And then there is the drunks...they speak slower but it is so blurred that I can´t understand it either...Jajajaja there is no hope for me:) 

I am serving in BULNES!!! It is a campo, not in Concepcion. It was exactly what i wanted: I wanted to go outside the city and teach humble people. And that´s exactly where Heavenly Father called me. I love it here. Its tiny and poor but so great. The members are so nice. I am in a tiny branch (80 people but only 50 come) I get to play the piano which is really a dinky little keyboard. It is so cute. We had a couple investigators this week named E and S. Also we met this really cool lady named Izabel and we had two amazing lessons with her. She believed every word we said but she didn't want to agree to be baptized! I was so frustrated!!!! I seriously wanted to take away her agency for a minute and make her join the church because I know it will help her so much! 

Just kidding we need agency. I am so glad we didn't follow Satan's plan. Speaking of Satan, I really don´t like him. He knows how to get me. It has been so hard and I am so frustrated because I don´t know what people are saying. If I do understand I have no idea how to respond. It drives me crazy. Sometimes I just want to cry and give up. Like seriously it would be so easy to just go home and stuff. But then I read the letter my President put in our white packet. I wish I had it here so I could show you. It just gave me so much comfort. He said it takes every missionary about 3 months to get the reality stage of their mission. and that it is a challenge for every missionary who has to learn another language. He said to keep praying and know you are never alone. Yeah I really needed that. One day I will be able to speak Spanish and be able to talk to people.

The food is exactly how they described it...oily to the max! I have seriously, not even joking, gained 6 lbs this week...  They cook everything with oil and my stomach is having a hard time adjusting to this food... 

And the dogs! If I counted all the stray dogs I saw you would probably die! Just on the walk to church I saw 17...and our walk is only like 20 minutes. haha so we walk so much. I have to tell you a funny story. So my feet have like 3 blisters and I lost my duct tape so I had nothing to protect them. I said a pray and Then I remembered that we had pass along cards. I folded up the one with Jesus knocking on the door. And guess what! My feet were saved! Jesus LITERALLY saved me! I hope that isn´t sac-religious or anything!;)

FAMILY: I loved hearing your voice. I am surprised you could understand me through all the tears. I wish I could see you all so much! I am not super homesick because I am too worried to be homesick but just know that I love you and think about you all the time. Thank you for the cute valentines pictures. You are adorable and I miss you so much! I hate asking you to pray for me, but this is really hard here in Chile...I know the power of prayers! I pray for you all the time:)

jajaja that is my week. Sorry I am running out of time. They only give us and hour instead of an hour an a half....But just know I love you guys and I feel the power of your prayers.