Week NINE!

September 23, 2013...

Alo, everybody!

Lo siento about last week's email. I realized I sounded petty and selfish because I want to come home and miss my family. Which is still true, but I will try not to complain so much because I am on the Lord's errand and I need to be here. I just am going to struggle through the next few months. But I CAN DO THIS.

In any case. Spanish is coming more easily. I've made it a point to read at least one chapter in the Libro de Mormón every day and I can already see improvements. And I can form sentences a bit easier as well. It's a goal in our companionship that we only have an hour for English everyday, so it's funny when I do speak English, there's some Spanish mixed in with it. Anyway, I can speak in sentences now! . . . sort of.

So guess what? My adapter, the big black one, sort of blew up. A bit. Actually, it didn't blow up, necesarily. It just sparked, and then smoked for a bit and now doesn't work. I bought one here for como 2 dollars, so it was a waste of money to bring it here. But good effort!

I am so excited to watch General Conference!! Because it's in English! Every time we watch a video, I am disappointed because there's Spanish dubbed over the speakers. But I am so excited. I need inspiration.

We're really struggling this week. Numbers-wise. First, on the 18, there's the birthday of Chile, so we went to a member's house to Almuerzo. I think I ate half a cow, most of a pig and a good part of a chicken. It was a surprise I didn't vomit. I had to stay in bed because I got so sick. Ojela the members will stop feeding us so much because I literally cannot eat it. But I do like eating a large meal in the middle of the day. I am full until I go to sleep.

It's amazing how important it is in the campo to be obedient. Exact obedient.How when we do the will of the Lord, the days pass and time moves much better. Although it's difficult to always have the Spirit, my days and the language are so much better.

Dad, you ought to be proud of me. I am more than halfway through Jesus the Christ. I am glad I waited to read it though. I'm getting so much more out of it now and here than I would if I had read it at home. It's incredible how much detail there is. I love it. It's a great break from the scriptures.Not that I don't like them. I just... anyway.

We were teaching an investigator, Maria Isabel, and it had been a really hard day. We just found out that Deisi is MOVING and that we wouldn't be able to teach her. So upset. Anyway, long day, disanimada todo el día, entonces, en el terminar de nuestro lección con ella, Hna Moody quería a salir Maria con una escritura. No conocía cual capitulo a usar, pero sentí los susurraros del Espíritu a abrir el LDM a Moroni 7. Hna Maria fue tenía pruebas porque ella no pensaba que tiene albedrío. (que la faranga?) .. I didn't realize I was typing in Spanish. Permiso. Dad, will you translate that? I didn't know what the chapter was even about really until I read over it at the house again. Read it. It's pretty inspiring. I was an instrument of the Spirit to the Lord. AH! It is so cool to see the workings of the Spirit.

All right. Answers to questions. Don't send me a connector for my camera. I might have found one and I just need to figure out how to use it. If I can't figure out how to connect it or lo que sea, I will tell you.

I have had pero, but they call it 'Ecco' in Chile. I bought some my first night here and drank it with milk. It was so rico. I have it almost every morning with wheat toast and jam. Mm. I'm fasting today so everything sounds divine. Like crepes and nutella. I haven't had breakfast, like pancakes and waffles and what, since I left. That may be my first meal when I get back...

Our daily routine isn't all that exciting. We get up at 7 (on the 1 de Octubre we get to wake up at 730!) and exercise for half an hour. We then get ready for the day until 830, which is when we have estudio personal for an hour. 930-1130 is compañerismo estudio and lenguaje, then we leave the pension at 1145 or 12. We then hacer proselitismo until 930, when we come home and plan until 10 or 1015 for the día siguiente. Write in my journal and get ready for bed. Read the LDM in alto voz. And then the best part of the day. Sleep. And then we start over after what feels like 7 seconds of sleep.

We can do our own laundry, but our Relief Society Presidente offers to do it for us. I don't need to wash my clothes too often, mostly socks and what. I may need to buy new socks because I'm already wearing holes through the heels of one pair. We do a lot of walking. Claro.

Part of our sector is in the Gran Avenida, so we get to see a lot of interesting people and places. We are actually in the city, so I miss the slow, yet upbeat Alpine because of that.

We don't have an apartment. We share a small house with another companionship. It's lovely and blue and is like living in an icebox because Chilenos don't believe in using heat to warm themselves. It's great though, in realidad. I love it. I just have to wear nearly every sweater I brought every night. We sleep in bunkbeds made of metal. They squeak a lot. That is all.

We have a stove and a fridge and an oven. We ran out of gas this morning, entonces had to take fast, cold showers.

Hmm. What else can I tell you. Don't worry about the long letters. I print them out to read them during the week so I feel like I can hear you telling me things and I love to read long letters. I don't have much more time and a lot more to say. But, exact obedience.

This is my dirección to send letters, by the way:

Apartado Postel

Casilla 544

San Bernardo, Santiago

Chile

I love you all! I hope to hear from more of you within the next week. I will try to send pictures next time, but my computers being stupid and won't connect. I LOVE YOU ALL!

Keep the faith and keep smiling, my dear, lovely people in the States!

Hermana Castleton