Why do I have two eyes?

I just love getting emails...and hearing all about what blessings our family is receiving.....I already planned on going to Bangkok for the Temple dedication and seeing the cultural celebration will be just amazing. I just feel so blessed just thinking about it. I am really happy Gabriel wrote me. His email made me laugh. He is still the same old Gabe. I can see him as a missionary that makes all the people he meets laughs.

This week was a good week. Did I tell you guys that all the missionaries in Potosi (we are about 20ish) are going to reenact stories from the Book of Mormong. I am going to be a sheep (a cute one of course) and Sariah from the Tree of Life story. Its going to be great! I gotten so hooked on making costumes and decorations...It made me miss my mayor. There is just never enough time to do this things. The sisters and I were in charge of making the tree of life. I was pumped. I wished I had wires and spray paint and a whole bunch of time to do it. But I had to use what we had in the house. I found a broken green umbrella, a christmas tree and branches. I sewed the branches to the tree. I thought it looked pretty neat. Ghetto. But neat in regards to the limited time and supplies to do it. Then one day I was in a lesson and look to the side of me and see a fake BEAUTIFUL fall  tree. We asked them to lend it to us. So my tree I made won´t be used, but its okay because I couldn´t finish it. Hahaha. We don´t have a car, so my companion walked around the streets with it. People gave us weird looks haha. 

Sometimes people ask us the weirdest things. We contacted this one man in the street one day and as I was about to explain about Joseph Smith, he interrupts me and says, "Why weren´t there 10 apostles? Why there had to be 12?" I tried to keep calm...and explain it to him with love....but I could feel the contention...so I asked him, "Well why do I have 2 eyes?" I had a point......sometimes we don´t have the answers to the questions we have, but all we do know is that God created us that way, and Jesus established His church that way.

It has been so cold. Really cold that I can´t be outside without wearing leggings (thermos). I am having to do it...I´m taking out money. I know I´m  stingy with money, but I am dying from this weather. I never thought the cold could be so painful....Sometimes I´ll wake up in the morning before the hour to wake up and I´ll be so cold that I can´t sleep. My companion is taking good care of me though and she lends me warm clothes. Sometimes it rains and when it rains, it hales....we were outside this week when it haled and I remember just standing at the door step of a house knocking with my companion, hoping someone would let us in. It was a man´s house so we couldn´t enter and we stood at the door. I was just standing there feeling the hail hit my back. Hahaha...the mission life. Never gonna live this at home.

We taught english classes this week. I got to teach two little kids while my companion taught the adults. They were the most two adorable kids ever. They just keep talking to me about their dog and I tried to help them learn the names of the colors in English. Sometimes I still can´t believe that I´m finally fluent in Spanish....it has been so long....lol. Its what I have been waiting for since day one.

Our district leader is awesome. He is such a humble guy. I had never had a district leader like him. But one of his lessons really impressed me. We all had to teach about an attribute of christ in the district meeting. When it was his turn, he has us all read when Jesus washed His disciples´ feet. Then my district leader said, "I know I´m your district leader, but I do, too have weaknesses. And so I would like to clean your shoes". He got down on his knees and pulled out a pack of shoe polish and a brush. He told us he couldn´t do it for my companion and I because it would be appropriate, but he did it for the elders. And I just watched him and thought about our Savior Jesus Christ.....he was polishing their shoes and I started to get teary....Now that I can finally understand Church Doctrine better in my life, I find it hard to believe when Jesus returns and does such acts like that...I was really grateful for that class that he taught. He has helped our district grow and have success. We set some goals, one being to find families and contact 10 people everyday in the street. My companion and I love contacting and we are finally able to do it without being afraid, but with confidence. We did intercambios or companion exchanges and I stayed in my area. We put it to test. I read a conference talk about becoming consecrated missionaries that teach us that a consecrated missionary puts in his all. He walks in the rain. He knocks just "one more door", he smiles even when people reject him. I was with the lovely, Hermana Giles from Arizona that day and it was raining that night. It was a cold night. No one in the streets. We looked for a reference who ended up not living there, but someone else who automatically let us in because it was raining. We got to meet him and his wife. We left the house happy because Potosí..is not easy. Getting into people´s house the first time is not easy, but they let us in. We continued looking for people to teach. We were going to look for one of investigators that wasn´t progressing, but we felt prompted to go somewhere else. We were walking around the block, avoiding the puddles...more like rivers (Bolivia doesn´t have water drains in their streets) and we decided to knock on doors. It was fun. We would knock, and I said, "Is Mary here?" Then we hear a voice..."NO. MARY DOESN¨T LIVE HERE!" And I respond, "CAN WE GIVE YOU A GIFT?" and she yelled back, "NO!". We laughed soooooo hard and continued to walk in the rain. We knocked on another door and three kids opened the door. "Is your mom home?" We talked to her mom and she let us in......we found a family. We walked in their beautiful home. A family of three kids, a mom and a dad. They gave us something warm to drink and bread. I was in awe...We found a family.

It is amazing how the Lord leads people in our paths.....

We had interviews with our mission president. I loved it. Being sister training leader makes the interviews a little different, but interesting. But he asked about Marvy and I just cried. I was just so happy to see that the baby boy is going to be born and that she will be going to the temple this year. Then he asked me, "Hermana Santeco, now that you are finishing the mission, how do you want to end it?" I first thought....wow I am really close to the end....and I said, "I want to work hard...and finish it good." He smiled....he was happy with my answer. I had came to a point that if I don´t work hard, I feel terrible. I feel like a terrible missionary. I want to finish it good. Finish it with every ounce of energy that I have....I want to live it to the fullest...because it really is ending soon.

I am so grateful for this time...sacred time to serve the Lord. I reflect upon the blessings and continue to feel the love of the Savior and my Heavenly Father in my life. I know that this is the Lord´s work. Its a work of love and work of miracles.

I do hope you all have a wonderful week and have a wonderful sunny day in Hawaii!

Hermana Santeco

Fotos: Making a tree out of an umbrella.

The Vara Familia

Happy Easter! Pascua!!!!

I am so happy.....To hear that there is going to be a temple in Bangkok, Thailand!!!!! That is just such a wonderful blessing...to know that when we go to Thailand, we can also go to the temple...I would just love to be there and do a session...and visit all of the Lord´s temples..To hear that announced from the words of the prophet, I was uplifted and my eyes were filled with tears...for a place where a small percentage of people actually believe in christ. i know that was all based on inspiration...the Lord knows that it will move forward His work.

This week my companion and I traveled to Cochabamba for leadership training conference. We left tuesday night to take a 3 hour taxi ride to Sucre. It was a dreadful car ride. I do not know how people can go on road trips. Being outside of Cochabamba as a sister training leader is a lot of traveling...and I am always so tired, but I just love it. We slept with the other sister training leaders in Sucre that night and left the next morning to take a half a hour flight to Cochabamba. It was so weird to be there. In Cochabamba! I took pictures...but I forgot to bring my camera with me...this morning...i was rushing so sorry. But my companion passed me a few pictures that she took on her camera. But Cochabamba has perfect weather..here has begun to be cold. We arrived in Cochabamba and went directly to the stake chapel to our meeting conference. It was a loaded schedule for us. It was a wonderful trainingship. Inspite that I was really tired, I could see how the things I learned there has helped me to become a better missionary this week. Oh and I have to mention this part. We had chinese food for lunch! It was DELICIOUS. I had never eaten amazing chinese food in Bolivia before because it is usually just chicken......but this was like a Choy Mein! And there was chop sticks.....that just made me soooooo happy. I was a happy chinese girl! haha! We were welcomed into the Mission house, President Hansen and Hermana Hansen´s house that night. The beds were amazing.....so comfortable. The towels were so fluffy...and we were just outside across from the temple. They made hot chocolate fudge ice cream for the night and made breakfast for us. Bacon with scrambled eggs with cheese, banana bread, orange juice, and cinnamon rolls...I was in heaven. It was just like being at home. Hahaha my companion and I only went out to eat dinner after the conference and straight to the mission house to rest. We were so tired from traveling. We had this thing called Pipokids, which is popcorn chicken with lemonade. They had a cool container for it. I took a picture, but like I said I forgot my camera....so sorry haha.

We came home after having breakfast with president and his wife. A flight back, and a three hour taxi ride again....I slept the whole taxi ride. We got back to Potosi and directly went back to work. The following day we had to do companion exchanges and prepare a few things....It was a lot..of things to do. But I laughed through it all. Hahaha. I think the mission really helped me to handle stress better and to just take things little by little and just to really enjoy the ride.

General conference had a interesting topic in almost all the conference talks that were given...Marriage, having kids, family, being parents......I guess I receieved some revelation about that..but really I did. As I am finishing the mission....which I can´t believe its happening, I can see how the Lord is preparing me for what is to come after.

We were blessed to watch conference in English and Elder Johnston bought all of us snacks. It really helped me to stay awake. I think it was the first time that I watched all of the sessions without falling asleep. I watched it soooo happy. I love conference!

Today on Pday, the sisters in our zone might go out to eat lunch together at a Hawaiian Chicken place...its funny because I didn´t know that Hawaiian Chicken existed...hahahaha. Its almost like any other place...the chinese restaurants only have chicken...bolivian chicken..but I actually like their chicken so I can´t complain.

It has gotten so much colder these days. I´m being sure about this but either today or during these days, I´ll be pulling out some money from my card. I need to buy me some warm clothes. I am freezing. haha.

But the spiritual note of the things that happened this week...President Hansen gave us the challenge to focus on the Book of Mormon in our teachings. We were able to put into practice and into the test this week and we had seen how the lessons are so much powerful and spiritual when we focus on this book....I came to know that I truly had obtained a testimony of the Book of Mormon in the mission...it has made me who I am today. I love the Book of Mormon and see how it is truly our guide in our lives. President asked us, "How many of you or your investigators actually go to the Book of Mormon when they are passing through difficult times in their lives?" That made me think...now we are trying to help ourselves and the people we are teaching to trust in the Book to help them....because it has really helped me. Talking about the Book of Mormon makes me realize that God truly loves His children and that He wants us to build our faith in Him and His son. And so, I´m reading more....everyday and seeing how the Book of Mormon teaches us and has all the answers of our souls.

I´m sure you saw the video, Gracias a que Él vive that is probably viral on the internet from the church. I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us that he resurrected and has gave us the way to live with our Father again. Happy Easter.

Palm sunday came around again and it made me think when the bishopric came to the house to give mom the sacrament and a blessing after going through chemo. Its amazing how the gospel blesses us...I urge each of you to remember Christ in your days...it can make a huge difference in your day. I promise.

I know that this Church is true and that He lives and loves us. I feel so blessed to know these things and to share it with His children.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Con muchisimo amor,

Hermana Santeco

Just Keep Breathing

The Church Email Website is messed up. Getting on was a struggle. But
I finally got on at least after 100 attempts haha.

This week....I was dead tired. I am exhausted. Adjusting to the
altitud and to the cold is something I will never really get used
to....but the cold yes. The breathing in thin air...I don´t know haha.
but it was a week full of tons of things to do. We did a companion
exchange this week with my ex companion hna Muralles and her companion
who is the ex companion of her, Hna Paiva who is from Brazil. It was a
great companion exchange. I felt that we were literally doing all that
we can to help the sisters out here. It was great to be with Hna
Muralles again. I had never thought that I could be with my
excompanions, but its already been the third time. I am so grateful to
be able to look back with her and see that many things we had learned
together and the things we are learning right now. Its really nice to
serve the sisters here and just give them ears....to listen and try to
help them go through maybe the struggles that we usually go through in
the mission. I liked her area that day because it was a little flat.
Our area is full of HILLS. I can´t breathe....but I am breathing.
Haha.

We had a talent night in the ward. I loved it. It was a little small,
but it was fun. My companion and I did a little act with a cardbox
with holes behind my body. She stucked her hands through the hole and
became my arms. We acted out the life of the missionaries. I have a
video and I´ll sure show it to you when I get home. Its soooo funny.
She was putting some lipstick on me, feeding me an apple, and lots of
stuff.

My companion and I have the choice to cook or eat out for dinner...or
if not, we don´t eat dinner. We were given a budget to spend. We found
this cool burger place with sandwiches and salchipapas. It is
DELICIOUS and so cheap. We only have to pay 2 dollars for a burger or
a sandwich or a big plate of salchipapas (hotdogs chopped with french
fries). DELICIOUS...and their sauces they have out to add to our
food....WOW. We are going to get back there this week. We always got
hooked to their Argentina Cookies, Toddy. DELICIOUS. We are just on
the hunt for good food. I love going out to eat with my companion. It
reminds me so much when I went out with Marvy to eat at Dennys, IHops,
or random places at night when we drove out to town. I miss those
days.

Our pensionista cooked un plato potosino. A plate from potosi called
Saice. It was delicious. It was made with soy meat? Is that even
healthy? My comp and I are trying to get healthy, but its so hard
here...all we eat are potatoes.......lol i feel like one. Exercising
in the morning is hard...when breathing is so hard. I took a picture
of the plate and with my pensionista. Her name is Rosalin. She is a
darling. We made some grilled cheese sandwiches yesterday with her. It
was delicious.

We had awesome lessons taught this week. That we could really feel the
spirit. We were given the wonderful opportunity to invite one of our
investigators to be baptized...who had been going through difficulties
with drinking..he has been sober for a month and we could see a huge
difference in him. We were touched to see how the gospel really
changes us..and our lives.

We got to see the Women General Conference in a member´s house because
it happened to be on election day here in Bolivia and there is a law
that you can´t have any type of reunions here of more than 8 people.
So we had to either see it online in a internet cafe or with a member.
I loved the conference. I could feel the spirit the whole time. And
the fact that they talked about how the family is of God and God gave
us families....I just missed you all...got a little teary, but also
excited to be a mother in zion one day. Then I realized that my
sobrino, nephew is going to be part Samoan.......that was a random
thought that came to me....I never thought we would have samoan blood
in our family line....hahaha.  But i loved it...I studied a lot about
our divine nature as children of our heavenly family. We are literally
His spirit children and I could just feel His love for me. We are here
to progress and become like Him.

My companion is awesome. She is so loving and always aware of my needs
(to breathe). Being with a North American is so different, but so fun.
I feel that we can understand eachother just a bit more. But its
really cool to be with her.

I came to realized this week that if I finish the mission in
Potosi.....I will be finishing the mission in the most coldest time of
the year in Bolivia...and I will be going home when it will be SO HOT
in Hawaii.....That is going to be a huge adjustment for me haha. But
its going to be great.

As the time goes by so fast, I literally feel sad and also excited to
go home. I realize that its really going by so fast.....that next
transfer I´ll already receive a letter from the mission about going
home and they will already start making arrangements of flights...I
can´t even believe I will be skyping you in a little more than a
month. I love being a missionary and to see all the things that are
going on here is just a beautiful thing to reflect upon.

I am so excited for general conference. I hope all are all excited
too! I am so grateful for Young Women´s for teaching me to prepare for
it spiritually. To think of questions that I may have and to pray to
have them answered. I do want to leave this challenge with you all who
are reading and my family of course, that they can prepare themselves
spiritually and physically (gotta have your snacks during conference
right?) for general conference. Write down some questions you might
have...maybe the doubts you may have in your testimony...or your
purpose of life. I know that the Savior really answers our prayers and

listens to us...I know we are His children and that He loves us. I am
so grateful for this knowledge that we have from the gospel. Its an
absolute blessing in our lives.

We will be going to cochabamba this week for a leadership training
conference.....Lots of traveling. I had the courage to ask president´s
wife if we could stay at the mission home that night we stay in
cochabamba. They said yes. I will be in a room with carpet....it has
been so long.. hahaha. They invited my companion and I to do a special
musical number at the trainingship conference....did I develop the
talent to sing or are they just being nice??? I am sooo nervous...but
so excited to sleep in the mission house...its so beautiful and also
to be in cochabamba to breathe normal. Hahaha. I love the mission
life....sometimes it is exhausting...but its the best.

This was my week...and I´m ready for a new one!

Love you all,
Hna Santeco

PS: Thank you for sending me the package and I hope mom gets better soon.

Almost 13 months

okay, I swear that I just made a year....but how is it possible that I will be making 13 this week...

Potosi is beautiful and I can not stop saying that because it really is. But this week....was a long and fast week. My companion and I went to Tupiza to do companion exchanges with two other companionships of sisters. It was awesome to be with one of my ex-companions Hna Castro! She is awesome and she still makes me laugh til this very day. But this week was a lot of learning for me. A lot....and I am so grateful to be able to learn here....I learned a lot to be humble and to accept the Savior in my life.

Tupiza is full of red hills and lots of dirt. Going there was a huge climate change for us. Traveling there was a pain. We took a bus from Potosi to Tupiza for 5 hours and had to sleep. We left around 9 and arrived there at 2 in the morning and when we left tupiza we left at almost 11 and arrived home at 5 in the morning. There were lots of snoring people and the seats were not the best but I was tired enough to knock out dead. It was hot in Tupiza. It was nice to go back to breathing normal in Tupiza, but the hot....it made me miss the cold. I was able to really bond with my companion Hna Crawford as we traveled together and did companion exchanges with the sisters.

The cold is getting colder and I am about to buy some clothes today. Do not be surprised if I take out some money out of my card....Its seriously cold here....but its awesome! Last night I made dinner and made some rice with egg flower soup. It was delicious. I missed me some shrimp and good old soup. I came to a conclusion with my companion to ask you to do me a favor and send me curry paste??? hahaha and tell me how to make stir fry noodles......I would love some ideas to cook because now that we are cooking dinner, I am really loving to cook and to eat. Or if not we eat out and this past week, we ate some good pizza and lasagna! 

But on the spiritual side...I honestly learned so much from my companion and our Savior to be humble. Being sister training leader in Potosi is....not easy. But its really a humbling experience. Its lots of sacrifice and lots of work. As I mentioned last week, my companion and I are the only sisters in our ward as missionaries is not very common in Bolivia. There is usually 4 at least. We both are new to the ward and the area and having to leave to Tupiza, we lost 2 days of work in our area. We are still getting to know our area and the members, but we honestly take on the challenge really excitingly. I learned this week, that sometimes you just got to really let people be as they are....when they do not want to change...you just can not do anything but love them and invite them....I know that the Lord understood me of how I was feeling these past days and He could honestly see that I needed Him.

Hna Rumualdo called me the other night and told me about the miracles that are happening in Villa Luz. One of the Martinez family members finally accepted his answer to his prayer and will be getting baptized. It filled me with so much joy and I thank God for preparing him and bringing us to him. I love to see how that area continues to be filled with so many miracles.

Last Pday we went to the mines. It was totally like an underground hike, It was interesting and really an adventure. It was cool to see how things goes under there.

My companion and I are working really hard here not just with our area, but with all of the sisters that we are in charged of. Its really a challenge out here, but I honestly love it. I am so excited for general conference. It is coming up so quickly. I can not believe how 6 months went by so fast. But its just a beautiful ride through it all...

I am hoping that you are all excited for conference as I am! It is really what we need right now.

I know that the Lord lives and loves us and truly understands what goes on in our lives.

Crazy thing....the mission secretaries are already asking me what airport I will be having to go to and if my parents are going to pick me up. (I believe not right? I would like you waiting for me there and the vaccinations will probably make mom sick i believe?.)

I love the mission life. I love it a lot and I hope that I can just keep working hard til the very end. I want nothing but to be here and serve the Lord. I give it all to Him for telling me that I needed to be here...and I am finally here and loving it all...

I love you all and I hope you all had a wonderful week. Until next time,

Hna Santeco

I´m in Potosí y.......

I am in good old Potosí and I am just absolutely loving it! Leaving Villa Luz was heartaching, but a beautiful transition because I could look back and see the wonderful miracles that we had in that very area. Saying goodbye to a feel investigators and the Martinez family was just hard. I never cried so much saying bye to someone when knowing the next time I would go back would be even harder because it would be before I would be going home...One of the people I visited for sure was one of our investigators, named Melany. She is a young girl who from the very beginning never missed a sunday of church. Before telling her that I was leaving I wanted to know what difference she could see in her life from the gospel. I asked her....what difference can you see from since the very beginning to this very day...and she said...that her life has changed tremendously. It made me cry....Then I told her that I would be going to Potosí the very next day. I could honestly feel that very moment that I knew with a certainty that she would be getting baptized one day, if not yet, soon and it will happen...I know it.

Then the Martinez family. We went to her house and not everyone was home. I was sad......Patrick wasn´t even there. Only a few of them....but Patrick´s dad, Jimmy explained to me that it was because they avoided saying bye to me.....he said its "doloroso" or painful for them...so they avoided coming home. But the heart touching words of the Martinez family filled my soul with absolute joy. They told me they are determined to visit me in Hawaii not just to visit Hawaii, but to meet my family and thank them for everything......I love them so much.......It was a bittersweet birthday of farewells and leaving behind Villa Luz. The next day just when we were waiting for the taxi with my luggages, Patrick passed by for our house and I was able to say our goodbyes.

Traveling to Potosí was a trip. It was half an hour in plane until Sucre and a 3 hour taxi ride to Potosí. You question is probably, "Is it cold there?" Its colddddddddd! I love it sooo much. I love the cold and its nothing like Cochabamba. Its so beautiful in Potosí and I already hope to finish the mission here. The life here is great really...but if anything I´m still adjusting to the air. I can´t breathe sometimes...hahaha my lungs are constantly pumping for oxygen, but need not to worry because I´ve gotten a little better at breathing here...The air is just so thin! Its lots of hills and lots of beautiful house and plazas. I feel so blessed to be out here...and to be with Hna Crawford, even better! We are loving being sister training leaders together. We will be going to Tupiza this week which is a 5 hour bus ride to do companion exchanges with the sisters. We will be traveling at night til morning. Its gonna be an adventure and we are going to be dead tired.

In our ward, they recently closed the elders´area and gave it all to us. And so we are the only


missionaries in our ward and we have the whole ward area and its not normal for having just two missionaries in the ward in Bolivia. In the states yes...because they have cars. We have to walk the whole area...ITS HUGE....but its absolutely excited and I can´t wait to do this! My companion and I are feeling just a little pressured with the new changes but we are really excited and trusting the Lord to do this.

My daughter in the mission who I trained almost a year ago, Hna Trujillo gave me a call one day and......she went home this week...I was lucky to see her on my last day in Cochabamba on my birthday....she was really sick....It broke my heart to not be able to see her....but I´m so grateful to know her. I´ve gotten to a point that I can see how amazing our companions are for us......I always find something interesting....for example with Hna Rumualdo, she got baptized on March 10th, 2012 and I got baptized on March 10th, 2002. Who knew that? With Hna Crawford...both of our moms went through uterus cancer and had to get surgery to get it out just about the same time period about 2-3 years ago...and they both go through the struggles of controlling their emotions..but they are both healthy and living and happy. To find that out about Hna Crawford, it literally amazed me....Everyday I ask myself, why does the Lord want me to be here and be with Hna Crawford? He answers me through the wonderful people I meet and my companions. Yesterday we were teaching a lady who has a boyfriend who is 12 years older than her...that made me think of mom and dad. Hahaha but she totally reminded me of you guys and I could totally comprehend them.

I have to wish a very happy birthday to my little brother who isn´t so little any more. Happy Birthday Jesse! I can not even believe you are 13 now...you are a teenager......that freaks me out....even the cat...how did cali get so big so fast! I like kittens better...oh do we still have fishes? she doesn´t eat them right? hahaha random thought.

Today we are going to the mines! We are going on a zone activity! Its gonna be sweet! I am absolutely loving the mission...and I hate to think that I´ll only have 5 months left soon......I don´t want this to end!

I love Potosí....or they say Poto-yes! Hahahaha. I love this. I love my life and its just awesome.

I know the Lord lives and loves us. I know He answers our prayers and is happy to see us live the gospel. I invite you all to live the gospel happily!!!!

Con mucho amor,

Hna Santeco

I¨M GOING TO POTOSI!!!!

I am going to Potosi this transfer as sister training!!! And my companion is going to be Sister Crawford! I will have my first north american companion in the mission!!! Its going to be great! You have no idea how I´m feeling right now...I am feeling all sorts of emotions....and remember that recently I dreamt that I was going to go to Potosi and my first reaction was...I don´t have clothes.....hahahaha Its going to be winter soon and really cold when it reaches June. But I will be fine. I will be able to buy some clothes and boots there. I mean it was always my dream to get all coated up in warm clothing right? Its a island girl´s dream?? Hahaha...But I´m really excited. I will be leaving outside of Cochabamba...I am just so happy. Sad because I will be leaving Villa Luz and I had met wonderful people here. I am going to miss it here and Hna Rumualdo too.

Last night Hna Rosmery, my pensionista asked what I would like to have for dinner because its my birthday and it would be my last meal with her until I come back to say farewell, I told her I wanted fry chicken :). I love her chicken! I am most likely going to cry eating it tonight...I cried just telling her what I wanted to eat. Haha. Thank you for the birthday wishes. I appreciate it so much. My zone is so kind to have an activity and cake this morning. They are most likely to throw some eggs at me and some flour (the bolivian tradition on birthdays). And also most likely going to shove my face into the cake...(other tradition). Its going to be awesome. I´m pretty excited. :) I am really grateful for my companion...Hermana Rumualdo. Its amazing how you can learn so much in 6 weeks from someone you are with 24/7...well almost because of companion exchanges...but its really amazing how you can learn to love someone so quickly....I am really going to miss her...She´ll be here in villa luz with a Latin companion. She is worried about learning english......but I know she will be fine.

We had the wonderful priviledge to have a leader trainingship conference with the 70ty Elder Carlos Godoy. It was a beautiful conference. I had never felt so uplifted by the spirit....It was incredible. It made me love being a missionary more and to realize why I need to be here. The impression part is that he speaks three languages. Portuguese, English, and Spanish. He got so confused speaking three languages...hahaha to his wife and to all of us. He taught us a lot about the difference between testimony and conversion. Conversion is so much more about knowledge...is the change of how we live our lives...I already plan on teaching a few of these things that I learned in the mission to others when I get home. I just love it all. Because its the same with Satan...We know that Satan has a testimony. He knows that God lives and that Jesus is our Savior..but he is not converted. He does not live the gospel. I hope that those who read this can take this in mind just a bit and work towards their conversion.

I was able to do a companion exchange with Hna Watt and Hna Nuñez this past week in Villa Mexico. I was able to get to know the area of Villa Mexico. Its a beautiful area. Huge area. Hna Watt only has 4 months in the mission. She is from Masachusettes. She speaks wonderful spanish and she helped me a lot to be constantly aware of the well-being of my companions. She is wonderful missionary with desires to complete her goals.

We had stake conference in Jaihuayco. It was also very beautiful. I loved it. I love learning from the many leaders about how we can become better people each day.

Oh I cut my hair for 50 bs. Thats about 7 dollars. The cheapest haircut you can get is for 10 bs...A dollar fifty. But you know me...and my chinese hair. I have a hard time trusting people to cut my hair, so I went to a place a little more pricy but its dang cheap still. They washed my hair and curled it. I loved itttttt! Hehehe Felt like a queen for the day.

To reflect on the 6 months that I had in Villa Luz...fills me up with so much gratitud and love. I still have to let the Martinez family know that I´ll be leaving and the other converts we have here...But what makes it easier is to know that I´ll come back on my last few days in the mission to visit a few people....At least my time here in the mission isn´t over just yet. I don´t want it to end.

Marvy spilled the beans....haha And I am really considering in Studying at BYU Provo....to be able to continue my path independently. I think I really needed to come on the mission to decide to go. But I am planning to be home before school starts of course. But I´m still praying about it as the days go by.

I am so grateful for the 21 years of life I had and the one year I now have to be able to serve our Savior Jesus Christ....in His vineyard of love. I am so grateful for this wonderful service of love..it has been a wonderful blessing in my life...and I wouldn´t change it for nothing. I testify that the Lord loves us and knows us perfectly. I know my afflictions and sufferings are just a decimal of what he had to suffer for me....He leads me, He guides me...He is my shephard and He lives...

I love you all and thank you for everything,

Hna Santeco

Marzo?!

Its already March...what on earth...I swear it was Christmas just yesterday. I say it all the time, Where did the time go???

This week was a lot of learning for me. The Cochabamba mission is doing an activity to become true disciples of Christ. They gave us a list of scriptures for us to study and analize..meditate...and then think in such ways of how we can improve individually. I LOVE THIS ACTIVITY. We make personal goals everyday to become better. The things that I learned....I promised to carry with me for the rest of my life.

1. Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is a process....You can never be a true disciple of Christ just in one day. We are humans and we do make mistakes constantly.

2. We all go through our personal atonements one way or another. We suffer sometimes for our own sins...and the sins of others as parents, missionaries, leaders...we suffer through Godly sorrow and try to submit ourselves to the will of the Father. 

3. Everyone has free agency...that is a constant thing I must learn. I had realized that I need to change my nature of being....and if you know me..I can be controlling. I was to control what my neighbor does sometimes if they aren´t obedient....I have come to know that I just CANT do that. But the intentions I have to want such a thing is nothing bad...I just want people to choose the right.....but I had chosen to live the Plan of Salvation. God´s plan to give every one of His children free agency. That´s a tough one for me....But I´m learning and I´m accepting it more and more each day even if it makes me sad to see people I love be disobedient....but the joy does come through. To see the people we just met a month ago, grow and progress...and have more light of Christ in their lives. That is a beautiful thing to see.

4. Being a true disciple of Christ requires obedience..compasion and love. 

I love that you are going to give a sacrament talk about coming unto Christ. This is exactly what I am learning through the transcourse of the mission. To come unto Christ and to invite others to come unto Him as well. I´ll include a little message in another email to help dad talk less in his talk hahahaha.

I received your package. Thank you soooo much. Muchisimas gracias. I was so happy to see the chocolate. To see the photos from the apple store, mom´s letter, and my debit card.....I had no idea that it expired...hahahaha. But thank you really for the goodies. I appreciate.

As I am coming closer to that day when I am going, I have thinking a lot about what I will be doing when I get home in regards of where I will be studying. I am praying and fasting a lot about that....but I know that I will just do exactly what the Lord wants me to do.

I was able to be with Hermana Hansen this past week in a companion exchange. It was awesome to be with her. We made it a goal to contact a LOT of people in the street and throughout the day. We were able to talk to 14 people. It was awesome. She taught me a lot about being bold and just going for it. I was able to be with her when we made a year in the mission.

I am learning a lot about the weakness I have and the things I do lack. I want nothing to become a better person, a true disciple, and missionary. I am so grateful to be here....I only have one more week in this transfer and I really don´t know if I will be staying here. Last night I dreamed that I was sent to Potosi and I was so worried about having to buy clothes to stay warm...because the cold days are coming up. Oh which reminds me. Embarassing story....one night I was not just talking in my sleep...I was singing and laughing.....My companion told me just when the alarm went off in the morning and asked me, "Hermana Santeco, what did you dream??" Hahaha.....I honestly don´t remember anything....even last night I caught myself talking in my sleep....I was teaching a lesson again..but the thing was that I knew I was talking, but the thing was that I wasn´t completely conscience to stop talking......

I really don´t want to count the days anymore. I don´t want to count down when I´ll be home...its just going by so fast and I still have so much to learn. But I am absolutely grateful to be here and to have such a supportive family at home.

I do want to bare my testimony that I know that this is the Lord´s work and we are His disciples. We are to be His hands in this life. I know Joseph Smith was a Prophet and that through him, our loving Heavenly Father restored His gospel. I know that God lives...that Jesus Christ lives. That He is our Redeemer and Savior. I know that He is my Shephard. And we are His sheep. To guide us and lead us to His Father. I am absolutely grateful for this gospel. For the Atonement. For its power to free us from all the afflictions that we have in this life. I know that its true and this I can never reject. I can never reject its truthfulness and power.

I invite you all to become like a child, humble, meek, and loving...and obedient..like a child submits himself to his father.

I love you all,

Hna Santeco

Do a testimony meeting in family home evening! after studying about that conference talk by Pdt. Thomas s. monson. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/ponder-the-path-of-thy-feet?lang=eng

sharing a testimony can build the testimony of others!

love you all.

hna santeco

ps: share with me how it went