Week 13 (Lontué w/ Hmna. Rojas)

This has been quite a big week! A lot of big big changes and a LOT of adjusting.  My new companion is great! She is from Peru, and she recently arrived from her house, 20 days ago. When she had about 6 months in the mission she fell and hurt her knee and had to go home for surgery and recovery for nine months. She is now back and ready to go!  She doesn't speak any English, but at this point it's not much of a problem to me and I'm learning a lot more and speaking English a lot less... like never! lol  Sometimes I do forget and accidentally start talking or explaining something in English, then I notice her blank stare and we both start laughing.  Like I said, Hmna Rojas is great!  Despite all the trials we've had this week, she's done her best to not let things get her down.  It's really nice to work with her because we both have the same desires as far as being diligently, obedient, and things like that.  We are far from perfect but we are truly working on it and improving little by little everyday.

This is Hemana Rojas when she first arrived in Chile

Moving into the Elders' old house has been interesting!  It is obvious that it belonged to Elders... lol.  We are working on cleaning it up and putting it back together bit by bit... the area book isn't in much better shape than the house either.  I think that has been one of the more stressful challenges, especially for my companion who is brand new in the area and has nothing reliable to turn to except her companion who only has 6 weeks in the mission field.  Speaking of which, today is my "cumple-mes" [another month's anniversary], happy three months to me! lol  3 months gone already!  Only like 14 left (depending on when I come home).  I can't believe so much time has passed already!  You asked about the possibility (or certainty) of changing missions...if I had to guess, I'd say I'm going to the Rancagua mission but after the last transfer, nothing is certain and I'm not going to make any assumptions!

Like I said before, we've had a lot of challenges this week, but we have also, with patience, been able to see many little miracles springing up along the way.  One of which being our Lider Missional de Rama [Branch Mission Leader], Hector, he has truly been an angel to us because the Elders left, and with them went all the knowledge of the recent converts, investigators, etc. in the area.  They tried to document it for us on their white board, but without it accurately documented on a teaching record (in the area book), there's not much we can know...BUT turns out Hector is a freaking knowledge bank and he has actually helped us find some of the forms the Elders left behind about their investigators, recent converts, etc.  Hector has found this new excitement and fire for the missionary work, it's AMAZING!  Truly!  It's interesting, because before, with the four of us here, he was just old Hector, and we kinda took him for granted...but now with only the two of us sisters here, he has really been given the room to grow and shine!  He, seriously, is on fire!  I'm pretty sure he is the best Lider Misional de Rama [Branch Mission Leader] in the whole world!!!!  He is actually working on getting his mission papers started pretty soon.  He's 25 and really close to the deadline, but I really hope he will be able to get into the mission field because he will be quite the tool in the Lord's hands! 

With the new combio [companionship changes], we got a new zone leader, Elder... drum roll please... DAVIS! That's right, the Davis Dynasty continues!  He's only got the four weeks of this cambio left before he heads back home to AZ.        

The rain started today...bad news is, first day of real rain here and I left my umbrella in the back seat of a taxi... tonta [foolish]!  I'm going to have to buy a new one here.  The only down side is that they don't sell (as far as I know) the nifty compact kind here with a magical button that makes it pop open...choota! [darn!]. 

Another fun thing this week, Saturday night at like 7pm when H. Rojas and I were tracting, all the power in the city went out.  It was actually super cool for me!  We were walking, looking at our map of less active members, trying to hunt them down and out of nowhere everything goes pitch black!  Luckily, I just happened to be carrying my handy, dandy headlamp in my back pack!  Fue un poco fome para encontrar y contacter en la calle, pero, encontramos una casa de un menos activo, que es la hija de la Hermana Novoa , ella nos dejó entrar en su casa y tuvimos una leccion con luz de una vela.  [It was a little odd to find and contact in the streets, but we found the house of a less active member, that was the daughter of Sister Novoa (the Sister whose house we were living in before), she let us in her house and we had a lesson by candle light].  I was having the time of my life though because my brain like switched into adventure mode! lol  I'm being completely honest when I say that I was a little disappointed when the power went back on two hours later...but it was all for the best because we were able to use our heaters that night. The power went out again today, I was really afraid I wouldnt get a chance to email this week.

Things have been off to a slow and challenging start, but I really believe that the Lord called H. Rojas and I to be here in this particular situation, and this particular time because He knows our abilities (better than we do), He knows His children here in Lontué, and He knows we can do it!  I can't wait to see what miracles will unfold in the next four weeks. 

Family, school is getting out soon and that means it must be warming up there!  Almost lake and Pharaoh's [water park] time!  How crazy!  The rain (the real winter) is just starting here!  You know you're jealous! Enjoy the warmth and dryness, enjoy washers and driers, and enjoy showers with options in between freezing and scalding! lol  More Chilean adventures to come next week!  I love you all so much!  READ YOUR SCRIPTURES AND DON¨T FORGET YOUR PRAYERS!  ... LOVE YOU!!!!!  Tell Gabby I love her and that she is the studdliest woman I've ever met!
ALL my love and appreciation,
Hermana Davis

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

P.S:
My mission president is having us do a special fast this next fast Sunday, he said this to us in his email this week,  "Vamos a unirnos este domingo en ferviente ayuno y oracion para poder alcanzar nuestro proposito misional. Tambien en sus cartas a sus familias pueden esta semana invitarles que durante sus ayunos que pidan a Dios que nos bendiga en la obra misional especificamente para encontrar a los escogidos dentro de la mision. Yo se que tendremos mucho poder de los cielos al incluir las oraciones de nuestras familas en nuestra obra misional junto con la nuestras.¨  ["Let's unite ourselves this Sunday in fervent fasting and prayer in order to be able to reach our mission purpose.   Also, in your letters to your families, could you invite them this week, during their fasting, to ask God to bless us with the missionary work specifically to find those chosen within our mission.  I know that we will have much power from heaven by including the prayers of our families together with ours in our missionary work"].