The Mission is a Rollercoaster Ride

Hellllllloooooooooooooooo family,

So I need you guys to do me a huge favor because I only have two more Pdays to get things situated for the Christmas Skype event that we are going to dooooo :). You have to be really especific with me and I hope you can tell me directly by the next time. I will be talking to you all on skype from my bishop`s house and he told me that we can skype at any hour you guys would like. I was given the choice from our mission president to be able to communicate with you guys on the 24th or the 25th, but to be honest, I would like to skype you guys on the 25th :) and...now I just need the hour...so if you would please tell me what hour you want me to call...that would make things easier. And now also because I had been here for so long...I already had forgotten the time difference from here and there...please figure that out for me and tell me at what time I would need to call (Bolivia time) and also from what skype account (with username and login included)...I need all your help to get this figured out because I really don´t have time or permission to do all that stuff....hahaha but really pleaseeeee...I don´t want to worry about it. And one more thing...just to warn you and let you know, I will only have 30-40 minutes to talk to you all....so prepare yourselves and write down your questions and what not so that we don´t kill the time just staring at each other...hahaha. but really. I´m serious. And I am soooo excited!!!!! I get to see youuuuuu allllll!!!! Only in about 2 and a half weeks. 

How was dad´s birthday??? And Gabriel´s birthday is coming up!!!!!! Aw man...the holidays. Did you all eat something delicious??? 

You wouldn´t believe what happened last pday. I was walking in the super market doing my errands, buying myself a new toothbrush and things like that (I really needed a new toothbrush..even my companion told me...it was just that there wasn´t any time to do buy...lol) and a song by Michael Jackson was playing on the radio. Then I hear one of the American sisters singing and I was like HEY SISTERS ARE HERE TOO. Then I looked at that sister that was singing...and I stood there quietly thinking to myself....WHERE DID I MEET YOU? LE CONOZCO? DO I KNOW YOU?? She looked at me and pointed at her plaque and asked me if her last name was familiar.....I first thought I met her at the CCM and she was supposed to be in Santa Cruz, but now she was here...but then it hit me......SHE WAS IN MY ASL CLASS!!! When I realized that it was her...I cried and hugged her and screamed...I WAS SOOOO HAPPY. DENISE DAVIS is in the SAME MISSION as me!! She told me when she got the call, she didn´t realize that it was the same mission where I was. AND SHE IS HERE!!! I can practice signs with her!!!...well that is only if I remember...hahaha. I took a picture with her...I was soooo HAPPY. She is from New York, but that doesn´t matter to me because she was in Hawaii with me!!! She has been out in the mission for 3 months now...and one month and a half in Bolivia. 

After happy moments like that...we do have sad moments in the week. One of the things I honestly don´t like about the mission are the heart aches....your heart literallly aches...from all the problems you face, your companion faces, other missionaries face, you family faces, your investigator faces, the member faces, everyone faces.......its rough. But you really feel the power of the atonement in your life and it heals your heart. 

We had intercambios (exchanges..i think that´s what its called) this week...and our goal was to forget ourselves and to get to work...because we were literally heart broken this week....I would wake up sooo sad..but after this exchange...I really had been healed. I was sooooo scared because I would be with a north american sister and I was the one who stayed in my area...I was practically being tested (well something like that) haha...I was sooo nervous. And plus my companion and I had to leave tons of investigators...our agenda was EMPTY....we had to find new people...which isn´t my favorite thing to do sometimes..but its the most miraculous :). Because you get to see how God places people in your path. I was with Hermana Gardiner. She will be going home next week. She is an awesome missionary and she helped me realized that I can do this...and I am doing it. I love being a missionary and seeing how we can all grow and develop. My heart has been healed from the service that we do here in the mission. 

People here love watching Korean Soap dramas....Gabriel...I´m gonna tell you straight up that there are many girls here that would die to marry you...because of your chinese traits...hahahha.

Yesterday was día de peaton....pedestrian day again.....and we had to walk to church which isn´t so far from our house...only 15 minutes away. We are all sharing a video which you might already know about. Navidad.mormon.org. or in english, its christmas.mormon.org. Its such a beautiful video. We are sharing this video with everyone and passing out cards as well. We say how Christ is a gift to us and what gift is it for us to share with everyone. That made me think profoundly in christmas a year ago, when I saw that mormon message video of the Gifts of Ourselves. I had felt the love the Christ and grew the desire to share the Gospel and bring others to come unto Christ as a gift to Him..and sometimes that very gift can be ourselves. 11 missionaries, of us we did a kiosco of this video and pamphlets, with water to pass to people walking in the streets. Oh and día de peaton is when there aren´t any autos or cars all day. Everyone walks to rides their bikes. It was a successful event that we did. We had the ward lend us their tv, tables, tent. A member lended us their power and power cable. It was successful. We contacted over 100 people. My mouth was so tired and dry from talking so much and quickly and non-stop finding people to bring into to see the video. I loved it. 

We were so blessed to bring 10 less actives to church and 2 investigators too. We are working on having 2 baptisms this saturday..and it looks like it will be happening :) we just gotta remember that it is all in the Lord´s will. So we will be ending this transfer with 2 baptisms!! I´m so excited!!!

Our activity, Viaje a Hawaii (Trip to Hawaii) is also this Saturday. We are going to have a busy weekend. I´m a little stressed with all the decorations and having to do 70 more leis...but I´m gonna do it!!!!! 

Today our zone is going to do the activity to bring gifts and do activities with orphans!!! I love the christmas service spirit!!! I´m enjoying the mission more and more as I stay. 

But this is my week...and please remember that you need to tell me about skype and everything by the next week.....or I am going to die in preocupaciones. lol...I love you all. 

Les amooooooooo,

Hermana Santeco 

PS: I have to take a stinking spanish test today too....but I´m prepared!!! hehehe