Someone tried to rob me today......slightly traumatized (week 12)

Hello my dear ones,

 

Someone tried to pick pocket me today! I feel slightly violated. Well at least someone we know said that they saw someone trying to. Flashbacks to Spain......twitch....twitch Anyway, I'm good so don't worry. I have like an inner ninja remember?

We had another great week here in Graneros! We met awesome people taught, awesome lessons, saw miracles, and felt the spirit. So I realized I haven't been talking much about the people that I meet here, and it is because of this:

1. There isn't anything to tell until there is, and by that time there is just too much to tell.

 

......I thought there would be more reasons, hence the numbering, but there really isn't haha But, I am now repenting, because I want to share about the amazing people I have met. It is the reason why I am here after all :)

First I will tell you about Gloria. She is one of our investigators preparing for baptism! She has such a strong testimony of the gospel, it is amazing. Her daughter was baptized a few years back and the changes she saw her make helped start a testimony of the gospel. She is working on quitting smoking. She was smoking 20+ a day, but just by her self without even knowing us has gotten down to 6. Isn't that amazing? She made a goal this week to cut back to 3. Please pray for her. I can't tell you just how hard Satan is working against us out here. He so desires for everyone to be miserable like himself, so please pray for her!

We also have another investigator preparing for baptism. She is also amazing! Her story is incredible! So strong! Her name is Maria. She is 26 years old. She has the cutest two year old son name Jorge. Her Dad died, not sure how or when, but before her Mom. Her Mom died in a terrible car accident. She (Maria) was driving and her Mom was in the back seta with Jorge. He was like 8 months old. She flew through the windshield, but managed to put Jorge on the ground before. Tragic right? So sad! If you could pray for her that would be splendid!

The next person I want to tell you about is very dear to my heart. Her name is Angelica. I don't know why (well I have a pretty good idea actually) but I feel like I knew her before. She is so strong. She was baptized and all that years and years ago, like 30 probably with her husband. They were sealed in the temple and everything. Then they had some problems, which I wo'nt go into detail about, because it is a very sensitive topic. Then there were some decisions that she made that took her away from the church. We have been meeting with her and teaching her and all I can say is that the change I have seen is a real live and true miracle. I so look up to her. I don't know if I could ever be as strong as her. She has a long road ahead, and it is going to be so difficult. Please PLEASE pray for her. I think once you feel the love God feels for a person you just can't help but love them forever. Some said she was a lost cause, but that is definitely not the case. No one is ever a lost cause to God. Can you imagine someone saying that about your child? Anyway pray for her, pray hard!

So we found out last night that we have another mission conference this Friday with another person from the 70! Isn't that crazy?!?! This never happens.....or rarely, and so close together! Its awesome haha

Here is my spiritual thought for the week. Elder Zamora was sharing a spiritual thought after lunch and I am robing his idea to share with you. 

The Holy Ghost is like a dove. It is easily scared away. Think about the things you do during the day that could scare away a dove. How loudly would you speak, how quickly would you be moving around? Anyway, food for thought.

 

Anyway I love you all, and hope you are doing well!

Read and Pray Everyday!

 

Hermana Makin

 

Yogurt here comes in bags did I mention that? It is also more like thick milk haha Great for smoothies! (Week 11)

Hello Dear Ones,

I had another good week in Chile! We worked really hard as usual! Numbers don´t always mean something, but this week we had 25 lessons and 52 contact, which may not mean anything to you, but that is a lot! We also had an awesome mision conference yesterday. All of the missionaries gathered in Rancagua and Elder Christensen and his wife spoke. He is in the presidency of the seventy. The whole mission gasthering has never happened.....well I'm guessing at one point, but in no ¨living¨ missionary memory.

This week we had lunch at Hna. Fanny House. Her sister Soraya made us an American meal, it was awesome. Potatoes and gravy, rolls, and meat. Just like home! It was tasty! We had our Thanksgiving a little early haha Someone had better eat some banana cream pie for me. 

Last Monday, the cookies were a hit! Thanks for the recipe Mom! It was kind of an experiment though, because they don´t measure the same here. So we had to kind of eyeball it, and that has never been my forte. They still turned out though! PS They don´t exactly do baking powder, or baking soda. Well they do one of the two, I just don´t know which it was that we put in. Also they don´t do real like measuring cups and spoons, they use actual cups and spoons, so it was really fun, lets just say that. 

On Saturday was a baptism of an adorable girl in the ward, Daniela. I helped with the musical number. She sang and I played. Her Mom cried. I am also like the designated piano player in the ward too. I play every Sunday, so if I haven´t said it before, thank you mom for making me practice :) 

I did a number on my back this week. It hurt so bad! It is mostly better now, but just to give you an idea, I took my pills and they didn´t do much. We kept working though, because that is what I am here for. Also I got sick again yesterday. Hna Villanueva too. It is some kind of flu thing. We feel much better today. We still went out to teach yesterday though, but after our first lesson (which was really more like taking turns running to the bathroom) we decided we had better go home. Apparently my throwing up is going to be an occurance every transfer haha (I know you all wanted to hear about that haha) The mission President actually called this morning and asked how we were, and Hna. Villanueva who usually says ¨super bien¨said something else, which I think surprised him. We asked him why he had called and he said it was just because he thought he should call. We kind of think it was for something else, but he is a very inspiried President. We love him and Hna Warne too. 

Did I forget ot remind you all about Brooke and Bri Bri and their birthday last week? I remembered, but I think I forgot to remind you all. It looks like you all had fun at their party though! 

Well I love you all very much! I hope you are all doing well! Love you!!!!!!!

Read and Pray everyday! (EVERYDAY!)

Hermana Makin

Dog Attacks, the plague, and alcohol.....this is the craziest week yet! (Week 10)

Hello Everyone!

Before I forget, my pday next week is Tuesday, just so you don´t run wild with yoru imaginations or get unnecessarily angry or sad.

First the plague. I sent you the picture and it is actually a lot worse now, that was last Monday. It is also on my legs and feet. Not like all over, but everyday some spots come to join the family. It looks like some of them are starting to shrink so that´s good. Anyway I told the nurse and she checked it out and told me it was fleas. Laugh it up people laugh it up. I know Jill is possibly dying right now, and maybe Dad too. And no I have not been carrying around my flea collars, but yes now I have one in my bag, but it doesn´t matter because it didn´t end up being fleas. The Elders came and fumigated our house like 10 min before going to bed....so that was fun. Hermana Villanueva almost died haha. Then the bed was sprayed and all of  my bedding was washed. Flea collars were added to my pack. Anyway it wasn´t fleas because none of that worked. I have no idea what it was. My compy kept saying tiene un peste....and I thought I knew what it meant but just to be sure I looked it up, and yep....plague. Anyway we will see....the nurse said she would look up Little red bumps on the internet. I told her she might find some interesting stuff lol

 

So a dog tried to attack me this week. It just so happened to be diablito. I told you that dog is of the devil. I am now less fond of dogs if that is even possible. It was the day after Halloween and we were walking to the church to clean the egg off the chapel. I was talking to Hmna Sheean and then I looked down and there was the dog and it had it´s head all cocked forward and angry looking and I was a tad bit nervous, so I just kept walking trying my best to give it some room, and next thing I knew it had jumped at me. It tried to bite me and all that, but Hmna Villanueca is like my body guard or something, and scared it away. It was traumatizing to say the least. I HATE THAT DOG!

 

So I may or may not have had alcohol this week......I am not sure. We were at a members house for lunch. She served us desert and it happened to be ice cream, so I was happily eating it, because hello, ice cream. Anyway after a minute or to my comp asked her what it was and she started to explain and well it sounded like the sauce on the ice cream may have contained alcohol, also the ice cream. It was kind of fuzzy for the both of us, but we stopped eating it. Now in my recommend interviews I will have to respond I think so haha Kind of funny though, since it was a member......

 

We had this crazy lesson this week with a less active member and it started off with her telling us that she didn´t want us to come to her house inviting her to go to church . She said lots of stuff, but basically she was mad. I was all um.....I have no idea what to say, I want to run and hide, but well that wasn´t an option. She thought I didn´t understand her, so she pretty much said all of the stuff to my comp which was fine with me, I was all for playing dumb. I was glad I had a comp at that moment. It was like a make it or break it moment. Then we ended up teaching her anyway (I was surprised) and she bore her testimony and felt the spirit and we have another appointment this week. I guess you had to be there, but it was crazy! I was freaking out mostly because I was thinking how am I going to manage this when my trainer is gone? What is I am the senior companion or trainer? Mostly because EVERYONE keeps telling me that I am going to be training next cambio. Like half of the hermanas are leaving in december and january (the initial rush after the announcement) and there are a lot of new hermanas and everyone says I speak really well, and so I guess that means I am going to train. There are like 30 hermanas arriving in December. Lots of pressure being a trainer.....

 

Oh there was another funny drunk man experience. Well, really just sad to see someone so out of sorts, but funny because it was beyond awkward. This man is walking his bike up the road and he stops (we were waiting outside a house with another member) and says you are very pretty. I was all thanks. Then he goes I like pretty women. You are really pretty. I was baptised by a pretty woman. There was other stuff in between, but that was pretty much it. Anyway it was awkward.

 

Oh and another non drunk moment from a man. We were walking down the road and this man on his bike was all excuse me, excuse me I have a question. Where are you from. I told him the US and he was all are all the women from your country beautiful? I didn´t respond, because I had no idea what to say to that either. The Chileans really like Gringos. Better than being hated right? Glad I don´t look as ugly as I feel haha.

Anyway I love you all to pieces! I hope you have a good week this week! Kiss my babies a trillion times!

Read and Pray everyday!

Hermana Makin

PS Question of the week, since I don´t have time for a soap box:

What are you doing everyday to help my children come closer to Christ? Since I love them more tan anything on the planet and recognize this as the most important thing for them to do, I have to ask. :)

PPS Hope you had an awesome Halloween! Kudos to Jo for sending photos....the rest of you however........

 

tiene un peste aka the plague

This is what she does on P Day....not very relaxing.... Nuestra Selva aka the backyard

 

Blast O Pictures

Hermana Makin's First Chile Mission Companion. Here they were participating in an activity held at the church.

The other set of Sister missionaries in Graneros. (I think one of them has left now)

District



Zone. Don't worry folks her hand is just on her hip. :)

Zone

Last pic before Hermana Mota (I think) left the mission/area.

Tan lines ;)

Picture of Hermana Makin with the other sisters in her mission including the new missionary from Kaysville that arrived last week.

Monthaversary!

Each month on the 27th we eat something in celebration of another month gone. Here is the picture of Hermana Makin eating her kinder egg in celebration of her first month done.

Happy Birthday Harrison (week 9)

Hello All!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRISON!!!!!! I actually get to say it on an actual birthday! I love you to pieces Bubby!!!!!!!!!

 

His birthday actually marks my second month on the mish. Crazy huh? Time on the misión is super weird.

 

So 42 e-mails this week....I about died. I only have an hour and fifteen minutes to e-mail have I mentioned that? I have started printing e-mails and then responding the following week.....in theory...when there is time, so if there is something time sensitive please put in in bold in the subject of the e-mail so that I know.

 

Another good week here in Chile! We had to leave a few investigators this week, which was sad, but they weren't progressing and we really want to focus on those that are ready and willing to make changes and come unto Christ. So I forgot to tell you last week that I am still in Graneros. Hermana Mota left, so that was sad. Elder Lima left too. I realize you may have never actually heard of them.....but they were in Graneros too.

I got a package in the mail this week. Thanks for the ¨letter¨Gill. The mint milano cookies didn´t even melt. It gives me hope on the chocolate front, so if someone wants to spend a lot of money on an experiment, it would be to send me chocolate in the mail and see if it melts or not. You can test the different months of the year too. I won´t even complain ;) PS everyone thought the backscratcher thing was awesome, they didn´t get that it was kind of a joke haha I loved that you printed some of the blog posts and sent them with pics. I love the ones on Mom. Best pictures ever. Someone should send them to me. Also the blog post that Ick did was so great too. Thank you for your testimony Ick, it helps me to be able to read and draw strength from that. The rest of you feel free to write things you learn or realize during the week :) Oh and Gill, make sure you spell check.....because I don´t have time for that. MMMKK? Thanks! ;)

I can´t think of more exciting things to write unfortunately......I forgot to make a list before I came to the Ciber..........so instead I will send pics. I know how you love that :)

 

A few weeks ago we met a woman named Nora. She lives with her son Andres. The last few times we have gone to visit her she has been in pretty bad shape. She says she needs to go to the doctor and no one will take her. She thinks they just want her to die so they can sell the house and get money. She was almost crying. I felt so badly for her, and realized, that there isn´t really a whole lot I can do to help her. That was kind of a terrible realization. We offered of course to help her with service and such, but the people here don´t seem to be too open to that. It made me realize the importance of service. Someone once spoke about how we need to recognize and then act. A lot of people need our help, and if we are blessed with eyes to see we need to help them. I was also thinking that it is a way for us to show our brothers and sisters the love that God has for them. Even if we don´t necessarily need the help, we should allow others to help us. It helps us to learn humility and feel God´s love. How many times has someone needed to feel God´s love and didn´t because I didn´t act? Being a disciple of Christ means we need to serve those around us. So my challenge this week is not only to find someone to serve, but allow someone to serve you. Service brings blessings, so by allowing someone to serve you, you are giving them blessings.

Read and Pray Everyday!

 

Hermana Makin

PS I cannot belive Mom is making spudnuts this year! Why is it always when I am gone?!?!?! It´s okay Mom, I already forgive you ;)

Oh PPS can you send me some récipes like this week don´t forget or I will be killed because we have an activity next week and I am in charge of dessert.

First Apartment

Hermana Makin has sent me some pics that I have needed to add to the blog. Here are ones that show her accomodations. :)

Her first apartment complete with bars on the windows.

 

Kitchen

I am guessing she sleeps on the top bunk. Bed was probably made for this photo. lol!