Week EIGHT Letter!

September 16, 2013

ALO!

How is the world outside of mine? I feel like I`ve been away from home for 3 years now and time is just starting to slow down ever more. It's fantastic. sorry I couldn't write last week. This has been a frightfully long week and that is probably the reason. I hope everything at home is going okay, because I'm fine. I feel like I'm never going to leave and like I'll be here for eternity.

Let me just say that even though I am frustrated and this is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done, I have never gone to sleep each night feeling so satisfied.

Entonces. Where to begin? Primero, I have to say thank you to my Nana and Papa. For their serving a mission. I have a lot to thank them for, but for now, I really am very thankful for their examples. There are times that have passed where I can't think or barely breathe because I miss home and seeing all my familia todos los dias, pero I taped a picture of Nana and Papa on my wall with a note that says, `if they can do it, yo puedo`, which means that I CAN. I can do this because I have an entire family at my back for support and God and his angels at my sides. But I wouldn't still be here if not for their examples of strength and determination and love for the people they served.

I think the reason I'm struggling so much is because it finally dawned on me that I'm serving a mission. I am actually doing this and I'm in a different country. That I really don't know the language and that I should know so much more than I feel I do.

(By the way, dad, if you have any advice about learning the language, it would be greatly appreciated here.)

My comp is Hna Moody. She's wonderful. She's from Utah tambien, St. George. Pretty cool. eh? She is really sweet and determined to be a good mom to me. She helps me with my español and everything. She has 7 months in the mission and so she can speak Spanish well. Which I am entirely jealous of.

I don't know if any of you know, but the 11 of Septiembre is a day where the people basically riot. All day. And party. And I entered the day before. So I got to the field and once we entered our house, we were confined to the house. Apparently people don't like the Americans at this time because we aided someone to do something they didn't like or someat. So the 11, we cleaned our pension. ALL day. From 11 in the morn till 930 at night. It was exhausting, but we felt fairly accomplished. Nothing big happened anywhere around where we live, so no worries, but apparently that's a big day.

The 18 of Septiembre is a holiday here, too. The birthday of Chile. So lots of partying and what is happening now. We had an actividad in our barrio on Saturday, which was so fun! It's amazing how I can already love the people. I love them and I don't know most of their names. We had lots of food and... FOOD. Holy Moses. I don't know why you said I would lose weight here, dad. They eat SO much food. We eat our breakfast in the pension, but we eat Almuerzo every day with a miembro and they just feed us. And feed and feed. I feel like I'm going to be sick, but I can't refuse because it's rude. So if I come home weighing 200 pounds, you'll know. But I'm really going to try to be good and maintain my weight because I need to have better self-esteem than I've had before.

All right. Teaching. Ah.. I have one or two things to say. At this moment, it is a love-hate relationship. I can't speak to the people I can understand because I don't know what to say and when I can't understand somebody, I can't speak at all. And the latter happens quite frequently. I had a breakdown ayer because I'm not fluent yet. I know I need to be patient, but I've been learning and in Chile for over a month, nearly two and I feel like I should have progressed more than I have. Ah, well. The Lord is probably just teaching me patience and humility. So we'll see.

I'm going to try to send hand-written letters over the next few weeks, but I just need to come up with something else to write besides what I say in correos (email). Sorry I keep mixing Spanish.

Our mission, our sector anyway (La Cisterna) is fairly small. When I had my interview with President Cook, he straight-up told me I probably wouldn't be baptizing many, but reactivating. Which I'm all right with because I think it's actually easier than starting from scratch. But anywho, Hna Moody and her previous comp found a Peruvian living with her uncle, cousin and husband with their two kids. Her name is Deisi. And I love her. There is something about her that I just enjoy and that just draws me into her. She isn't a member. She is humble and wanting to know the truth, so she does follow through with her commitments.

This last week, we went to teach her, this was Hna Moody's third lesson with her and my first. She told us she had read the chapter they had left with her (3 Nefi 11) and that she had prayed! And felt peace and comfort! Wooh! We taught her and toward the end, I felt prompted to commit her to baptism. I felt odd and my spanish was probably terrible, but I asked her if she would want to. AND SHE SAID YES! WOOH. It's such a goodfeeling to see somebody come to know the truth. She will prepared to be baptized on Noviembre 3. My freaking birthday! I'm so thrilled that she is going to be happy and feel the love of the Savior and peace of the Spirit continually.

Also, that day, we commited Hna. Marie Isabel to keep the palabra de Sabidurìa (word of wisdom).

Pretty nice. So I feel good. I just keep praying the the Lord will use me how he needs and that I will learn the language. It will come. I just need more faith in myself.

Sorry there aren't pictures this week. I don't have a cord t connect it to a computer, but I think I left it at the pension. If I don't have the cord, I won't be able to at all. So hopefully I have one.

Anyway, my time's up. I hope that each of you have a jolly day and that the  Lord will forever be with you. I keep praying for your joy and safety.

Love you all.

Hna Castleton