Fwd: Hermanita A, Valentines Day, and Baptisms... that weren't from our area

DAD!
 HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY!

I hope you don't think i forgot. this morning, I got up, had a half of a tablespoon of peanut butter, put on some David Archuleta.. and then, i had this idea. I wont tell you what it was, but i can tell you, it was pretty amazing... and not boring. anyway, here is the result of that genius idea.

so yes, i remembered that you're doing the diet where you dont eat any wheat or anything other than neat, veggies, fruit, and no processed stuff. sounds a little like gluten free living, but as you can tell, i still get fed tortillas, and thats where that second chin comes in.. .thats misison life. oh, and a ton of platanos. good luck with the diet!

  So, people remember that i know... more like knew, mandarin. well, one of the elders wants to know his chinese name, so now, people are asking me what their chinese name is... I DON'T KNOW, im a half gringa, half nicaraguan girl from New Yrok. anyway, im going to break out my chinese books that i brought (which i dont study) and come up with some names.

   This week was rough. We didnt find many new people to teach, pretty rough. i contacted a bunch, but my comp doesnt like to contact much, so... yeah.

   Our lovely Hermanita A is so sweet. We stopped by her store on Valentines day, to visit her, and she made us these little hearts with a candy on it. The candy had coffee in it, but it was the thought that counts! she said that she now works every Sunday now.

  Hey, i was just told that we need to go in like five minutes. The guy is kicking us out before our time is over. Thats how you really break a missionary's heart.

I started reading the Miracle of Forgiveness by spencer W. Kimball. I asked permission from Pres. watts, and he gave me permission. Im reading it in spanish, so it will take me a little bit longer, but it is really powerful. I just want to apply the atonement of christ to my life in a greater aspect. I really am so thankful for His atonement, that we can be saved. We can return to our Father in Heaven one day. The thing that is so amazing, is that we can return as a family, not just alone. we can be together as a family forever. I can't wait for the day that we are all together as a fmaily in the Temple Dad. It will happen.

   I have learned a lot about faith. It is a principle that is basic, but very important, very essencial to everything. Faith really, just changes to much. Also, i was thinking a lot about charity this last week. My comp hasnt put an effort to try to get to know me, and says things that hurt, but i think i just need to get to know her more. I am trying to compliment the good things she does, and i think i really am learning to appreciate the people the LORD puts in our lives. I know she is a wonderful person, i just and trying to bring that out of her more. she misses her old area. Charity can be applied when we barely know someone. Charity doesn' mean we judge poeple. I think Faith and Charity is my focus this next week, and i love studying about charity.

  Dad, i have seen that i have changed my personality on my mission. the LORD is really helping me become a better person. I am more patient and kind. I am so grateful for the hard times i have had in my mission because He has molded me into a better person. Thankfully i have about eight months left, so i can come back better, i really hope the LORD keeps helping me to improve, because I have a lot to improve on.

  I just want to tell you something that makes me happy when i feel down. I love when people come into church late.. really. I used to be bug me a bit, but i think about it. I bet some of these poele really put their best efforts to come to church, and they could have stayed home, but they still come. Its not an annoyance to me, but i appreciate their presence. Being on time is the best, but its better to just come than not come to Church.

  I love you, heres a picture of some of my best buddies in my district. We went to McD's. I love these guys, p-days are fun with people that just want to chill, but also be a little crazy.
 

i love you you Dad. Keep reading the scriptures!

Hey, i just got christmas letters sent to the South mission. Tell the ward my new address, with mision este.

cambios, aladdin, y una investigadore de oro

This week was interesting, nothing too exciting though, sorry!
     We had changes, and my comp left. my little tica, Hermana Gomez
se fue. she was super sad to leave porque esta area fue su primera
area. the changes meeting was cool i guess, i got my pants. Okay, Dad,
the material around here, that is tipica, like puro guatemaltco, is so
beautiful. Well, these pants are like aladdin pants, and so comfy. i tried
to take a pic in these pants, but, it didnt come out how i
wanted it. also, this comp doesnt send pictures. yes, i feel robbed of
my Q5.
     We have this awesome new investigador, lets call her Hermanita A.
She works in a tienda near the capilla, and is bien pilas. she has
read everything we have left her. We have been meeting with her for a
week, and so far she read all the folletos, and from the introduction of
the book of mormon all the way to 1 nefi 8. she wants to be baptized,
and we put her fecha for 15 de march. we are so excited; she works
every other sunday, so we put the date far ahead. People like her make
me feel so happy, just me da mucho alegria. From all the times we get
rejected, especially in this area, she just makes it so much better to
know there are people out there that want to be better and give their
lives to Christ. We have been getting rejected so much these past few
weeks. i usually dont take it too hard, its normal, but this past
week, people are just rude and mean to the point where its as if they
just really want to hit you deep. ouch, but hey, thats the name of the
game right¡? just some pretty good memories!
     Our inactive sister that we are helping come back to church,
she had an interview with the Bishop and is going to receive her
Patriarchal blessing!!!! I am so pumped! She is the bomb. We can call
her Hermana T. Hermana T is so awesome, she wants to serve a mission
now. I love her so much, she has really touched my heart.
    I thought of you and the fam dad, because my old comp hna.gomez
and i found a korean man who sells fruit en monserrat. Well, my comp said i should go speak mandarin to him, but she doesnt understand that korea and
china are different paises with different languages. so, i talked to him in spanish, and well, i am so grateful that i watched all that arrested developement. i
remembered how to say hello in korean! i dont know how to spell it,
but it sounds like ahnyong. I pass him now and shout it, and we're buds.
thanks arrested developement!
     People here love chicken salad, and well, i cant help but think
of that movie with jason schwartzman, and ... oh man, whats his name,
the blond english actor. dang, anyway, i just laugh a bit when people
offer me chicken salad. Ask brandon about this movie, he'll know. ask
him, he gets it. the bonnet... oh man.
     Our ward mission leader had his birthday party Saturday, and naturally, fuimos. Well, Hno.David is so awesome and has this little girl of about 4 or 5 yrs. well, we had a pinata, and all of us misisonaries dived for the dulces, and i found these dulces to the side so i picked them up, and she said "thats mine!" well, I said "well, then why are they in my hands...?" and she lost it. it was so funny, she just screamed so loud, and i gave her her candy back. she threw it all on the ground, and got a bag, and took all of our dulces. all of us missionaries just watched her in silence take all our candy. it was pretty disturbing. she pushed them into a pile on the floor and picked hem up, one by one, nd put them in the bag. it was terrible... que es este dolor?

     Today we all went to Paiz (a grocery store) and about half of the missionaries weighed themselves. Pobrecita, one of the sisters is new, like 7 days new, and said "yo no creo que yo voy a subir de peso durante mi mision," heh, good luck. i told her how i started my mision with one chin, and i feel a third one coming on, im fighting it, but thats kind of the way it goes.

     I feel like the Lord has really blessed us this Sunday. We prayed for us to meet our goal of bringing four new people to church this week, and sabado we went around contacting all these people we planned on bringing to church. Nobody that we visited showed up. We felt a little crushed. sundays were pretty relaxed for me before my mision, but as a missionary, nothing is more pressuring than those ten of fifteen minutes before church starts. Going to bring people to church, and waiting and knockng on their doors, hoping theyll answer the door. Or worse, waiting outside the chapel, anxiously looking side to side, for someone to come. Well, our dear friend, who also served a mision, brought  neighbor to church! It was a major blessing! She is also a returned missionary, so she gets it.

     A good little week.