Ang ebangehlyo ay para sa lahat! Spam is not Cow...

Sooooo...I found that phrase in Tagalog in a Liahona. I liked it, so I put it as my title of my email for this week. And as for the spam is not cow...that I will explain. My companion and I were craving spam and we found a can of meat in a store that looked like spam, but it is made of cow meat. Its from Brazil and opening the can took an hour to do it...it was difficult..it wasn´t spam! We ate it....it wasn´t like spam....spam is not cow..cow is not spam! It wasn´t like home, but the following day I made fried rice with the left over meat we had. That was good. I am glad I know how to make fried rice. Thanks mom. haha

This week was amazing. I have improved tremendously in the lessons we had, in the language, in my desire to be here. I have been teaching with ALL I got. All HEART all soul all might and strength. God has been blessing me for my efforts...We were in a lesson with an investigator who has a lot of problems....a lot....and when I was with her...I literally hear the words being put into my mind and my heart for me to say to her. I left that lesson feeling great because I knew that I did my best and that the spirit truly guided me. She told us all her doubts and troubles...you wouldn´t believe one her doubts being that--she doesn´t want to get baptized because she refuses to wear skirts. She can´t wear skirts and she doesn´t like wearing them....we tried to explain to her that its a silly thing to worry about when she clearly understands the importance of baptism....oh sometimes I go crazy in lessons when people make their doubts huger than they really are. But I am praying for her, alright...so that she can accept the skirt. hahaha

I found out that I have all the pictures from home on my thumb drive. I thought I emptied it all out, but it so happens there is a folder called "trash" in there....it was weird but I found everything. From my studies to all the photos and videos I took before I came here. I printed out two pictures of our family from last christmas and I hold them with me everyone. One day we contacted two women on the street sitting in front of their store. They saw the photo of our family and they said that they love how happy we looked in the photo. They loved it that they didn´t want me to leave with my photo. They wanted to keep it and they wanted to meet my family. I explained to them the happiness that the gospel truly brings to our family. We have an appointment with them this week. :)

We are going to the temple this thursday!!! I am soooo excited! We are going to have a baptism this saturday. I am so happy!!!! We had worked tremendously hard for this day to come and the fruits of our labors come through. 

My companion and I have been going out running every morning. We are exercising...because we love food too. I gotten used to running that my body never aches anymore after a day...I want to ache.....because now I feel like the running isn´t doing anything...hahaha

As for the baptism, we have to tell everyone that it starts one hour earlier than it really starts...do you know why?? It is because we are on Bolivian Time...its pretty much the same as Hawaiian time. hahaha. 

I meet this cholita abuelita. She is HILARIOUS. She doesn´t know a lot of Castellano (Spanish), but she speaks quechua. But when we do talk to her in spanish, its a crack up. I was asking her getting to know you questions for example I asked her if she knows how to cook. She said yes. I asked her what she likes to eat. She said carnito (carne or meat) and soups. I asked her if she likes to eat Chuño. She told me, "I can´t...I don´t have teeth". She pointed at her mouth and I realized that I had NO IDEA that she didn´t have teeth. Bahahahahahahaha. Then my companion asks her, who is your chico? We saw you with him (she doesnt have a chico we were just teasing). She says, he wasn´t with me, he is with other chica. She laughed sooooo hard. We laughed sooooo hard. She´s a lovely woman, really. I have a photo with her. Hehehe.

We have been struggling these past weeks with many investigatores unable to recognize the promptings of the holy ghost. But after having patience and working diligently, the Lord has blessed us tremendously to meet wonderful people who already know how to recognize the spirit. There was one of them who told us straight up that she could already feel something special with us. That her heart is warmed up that it burns. Ella decia "me quema, me quema aca" pointing directly to her heart. It made us soooo happy. The funny part of that lesson with her was that my companion and I were soooo sleepy. Houses in Bolivia make us sleepy we dont know why. But when my companion was talking, I was falling asleep and so I was like I NEED TO TALK. When I was talking, she was falling asleep...hahahah we left that lesson really happy and laughing that we were struggling there but we really had felt the spirit guide us to this investigator. 

As for packages...the voltage here is 220. And the toothpaste, correct me if I am wrong, do we use colgate at home or crest??? Because I saw a red box that looks like the one at home, but I can´t remember very well... :( But I think I am going to buy it and hope that its like the one at home.

Next week I will share everything about my WONDERFUL week at the temple and the baptism! Oh did I mention that our mission president will be baptizing our investigator too?????!!!! Its really happening!!!!

I am a happy missionary...I really am. Last night my companion told me:

Hey can I tell you something.

Um sure?

Why respond like its something bad? You had improved so much this week. You are speaking so much. It makes me sooo happy for you.

I WAS SOOOO HAPPY. 

I love you all my family!!! I pray for each and everyone of you. Thank you for your prayers of faith and your loving support.

Hermana Santeco

PS: As for school, I guess it will be fine to start in November so that I can start school in ease. I was a little stressed last week after when I found out the semester starts differently, but I know this for sure...that I will not shorten my time here just to study. The Lord has given me 18 months, and I will work 18 months! haha...but I know I can´t extend my time here either because the visa to stay here only lasts so long...but we will see what happens. :)

Midway through Octubre

I am going to start this letter directly to the point. This week my companion and I got into a big fight. Walking in the street together, yelling at one another....yeahh...it was ugly. But...it turned out to be a beautiful thing. hahaha. I have never felt so relieved after a fight with my companion. The fight was necessary. We put aside our differences and learned actually a lot from the fight. I am learning so much from hermana Callata. With her, after every fight I can really feel that we are strengthening our companionship and that we both do want the same thing. She is so wonderful, really. One of the things she told me that I loved so much is that she wants to her heart to ache when she has to change companions so that she knows for sure that she has truly learned to love each and every companion she has. That made a huge impact on me...I never thought of such a thing to do towards my companions. She is the only companion I have so far that I am not counting down the weeks until the next transfer. I am really losing myself in the work. We actually had two fights this past week, but the second one was just like a talk. No screaming just venting. But I told her my constant worry of being a burden to my companions when I don´t have self confidence when it comes to speaking the language. She clearly told me flat out that I CAN DO IT. And how she is amazed how the gift of tongues works through every haole here. She admires that and she knows I can do it. She told me, "Speak directly from your heart. Pray deep down in your heart when you speak. And if you confuse them, oh well. Its not important if you confuse them because you are giving it your all. You speak from ALL YOUR HEART and from the spirit and they will feel your efforts your love you have..you spirit. And they will feel it too and remember exactly what they felt with you." I am learning how to work with all my heart and I enjoy working that way. I am constantly trying so hard to put my all in every lesson. Trying to find ways to improve and become an effective missionary. 

We did have an interesting week. Yesterday we were in a lesson and 5 Jehova Witnesses began to knock on doors at the houses nearby us. We were teaching outside a house with chairs. But luckily it began to rain, and they left. Even this morning something happened outside. We heard a girl scream while we were studying.We ran out, and found out a 15 year old girl was robbed. She was walking with her phone in her hand and a car, passed by and robbed her. She was trembling...I felt so bad for her. So my companion and I went to comfort her. I asked her for her name and things about her family so that she would take her mind off of what had happened. We are being extremely careful and we acknowledge the dangers, but we know we are protected. 

We did a service project for a señora that cleans an entire elemantary campus by herself.....can you imagine? One person..only one person that cleans up the Kahuku Elementary campus? We went with the elders and cleaned up the place. Poor thing. After that we were walking down the street and we found one of our less active´s son drunk and wasted laying on the street. The elders had to help her carry her son in a wheel barrow to their house. ahhh.....life´s trials. He was so wasted.......but he´s okay now. 

Saturday night was a bautism of an investigator of the elders in our ward. We met their investigator before she was baptized and actually became friends with one of our own investigators. Her name is Laura Marca. She is amazing. She actually won a free trip to China and will be in china for two weeks. She left last night. And was so excited to go to appointments with us. She was with us in two lessons before she left. She´s a gem!

We will be having a baptism of our own on the 1st of November. We planned out the date with our investigator and his dad. Its gonna happen! And we are so excited!!!!! 

As for packages....you don´t have to send me spam, but only if you´d like, because I know it adds more weight. But what I would like....you will think its silly, but I miss Crest toothpaste...hahaha because they only have colgate here and I don´t like it.......and for the christmas lights. I don´t know what voltage it is, but if youd like to send me some, :) that´s really kind of you! I will let you the voltage the next week. 

I am happy to hear from you all. I can imagine mom being home with all the boys. Boys, you better be helping mom, now. I want to go to BYUH. I want to be home when I go home. lol. I miss the islands. 

Congrats to the new changes in the ward. New bishopric!! that´s crazy! time really goes by so fast. 

We see miracles everyday...and I love it so much. I have never wanted to be so obedient with exactness..its such a wonderful feeling. 

I love you all sooooo much!!!!!

Hna Santeco

"Eres una hija amada de nuestro Padre Celestial, preparada para venir a la tierra en esta epoca precisa para un proposito sagrado y glorioso." -elder utchdorf.

Mire adelante..​...mira hacia al Señor

Te amo, Jesus!

This week was something for me. My thoughts were constantly on Marvelyn. I tried so hard to not let such thing affect me in this work, but it did. My soul hungered.....I was having one of those weeks where I lost it, but eventually found myself. I fasted and prayed so hard so that I could learn something more from the difficulties and the trials I have here during the mission.

Last pday I could not sleep. I realized that I didn´t write that message for Marvelyn that day and that I totally forgot to do it. And I only realized that I didn´t do it, 10 oclock at night. I could not sleep.......I called my mission president and he gave me the permission to write you the folowing day. But the thing was that I had no idea what to write....that night I prayed so hard, trying to find the right words to say. I went to sleep. Woke up the next day, said my prayer, went to the bathroom...and the busy week that we had...I had no time to waste. I sacrificed my exercise time to write your message. But I woke up, inspired to write...I wrote and wrote and wrote...and thought of what I would have said if I were there. Writing this message brought me so much peace and allowed me to really just keep moving on. I realized that I really needed to put into practice of what I had learned. Talking to president Hansen helped me a lot. We had interviews with him. But throughout the week, the Lord was certainly answering all of my questions and prayers. I met at least one person each day who is facing difficulties much larger than my own and it made me realize that I need not to worry of my own problems, but as a servant of my Savior, to worry about others. What I loved the most from my interview with President Hansen was that I need not to dwell upon the things that I can´t change..but the things I can change. 

I did have my ups and downs this week...I am not going to lie. I hungered to fast...and so I fasted and found the strength to keep moving on. I received a comfort blessing from the 70ty that we live with, Elder Balderrama....and he gave me wonderful counsel to help me back to track into this work that I am in. I know you told me not to worry and that you hoped that I wouldn´t be affected by this...but I was. But it was for a good purpose which I may not know why...but God does. Just know that every trial that I have, strengthens me and prepares me for the greater trial that I will have. I need to go through these trials to test my faith and to help me grow and progress. I had met so many people this week...parents who are worried about their children´s choices, couples with marriage problems, single parents who are ill and are sick, unable to work and having to find a way to take care of 5 children...I had seen it all. The Lord has truly answered all of my prayers and fulfilled my needs.

My companion...my poor companion had such a hard time understanding how I was feeling this entire week..and had a hard time comforting me. But she did do a good job. The Lord did a good job.

But more about the week that I had, I was thinking.....Is Marvy taking all my clothes with her and all the bathing suits????? Hahahahah sorry but I need to know. I hope you didn´t take all of it! I need to come home to normal clothes....not just skirts and blouses that I wore for 18 months. 

We had a companion exchange this week. I was with Hermana Morales from Peru. She is awesome! She reminds me so much of people from Thailand. She looks so Thai. That day with her we taught 11 lessons......and I had met so many wonderful people. In her area, you can see the Cochabamba temple from afar and at night you can see it iluminated amongst the other buildings. Mira hacia el templo....It was so funny because we were walking and she asks me, do you like bread? And I was like...yes I like bread! And we ran to the store and bought bread and pilfruits (juice in bags). It was delicious. We laughed the entire day. 

We have an investigator that has 7 kids. Every year they had a kid...the oldest kid is 7 years old. We went to visit them and it was crazy...we opened the door and they all ran out. But the baby was inside their house crying. So one of the kids carries him out and it so happens that their baby doesn´t have a name yet. I told him that they should name him Nefi, which is Nephi in spanish. He might actually do that. But can you imagine having a kid every year?! That´s crazy...

Oh....and it so happens....it looks like we are having a baptism the 25th of October....:) But it all depends on the will of the Lord...we are praying so hard and working so hard so it will fall into place. We are so excited!

Yesterday was sunday, election day in Bolivia and we were given strict instructions that we cannot leave the house...until 6pm unless we have a set appointment. We stayed home all day...we studied and right after...we SLEPT. It was the first Dia de Reposo for us. The first sunday that I could rest. Sundays are usually CRAZY. But we rested :). But that night...I couldn´t sleep...I was not sleep. I was not tired because we didn´t work and because I slept all day...hehehe. It made me appreciate the times we do get to work so that we can sleep normally.

I love being a missionary and I CANNOT BELIEVE I have been out here for more than 7 months. It drives me crazy to think about it. I talked to President Hansen about applying for school and he said I can begin now if I´d like and so I´m slowing reapplying for BYUH. Ahhhh...I can´t believe it...President also already told me when I will be released from Bolivia...I will be flying home on the 25th of August...thats just an estimate....but its most likely will be the date I will leave and with travel time, I might arrive home on the 26 or 27 of August....THAT IS CRAZY.  

I am happy the wedding went well and that all is good at home. I am back on track working in the labor of love.....and I love it all. I love my life as a missionary and I wouldn´t trade it for anything.

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week.

Hermana Santeco

3 Nefi 5:13

He aquí, soy discípulo de Jesucristo, el Hijo de Dios. He sido llamado por Él para declarar su palabra entre los de su pueblo, a fin de que alcancen la vida eterna.

What the area looks like...luckily that hill isn´t my area. lol

i finally got my ID card in bolivia.....

elders in the hot hot hot sun. ITS HOT in BOLIVIA. Poor things in their suits. 

Si Señor, Te Seguiré

I had never felt the spirit so strongly with any other companion that I had until I met Hermana Callata. We have been fasting and praying like no other to be able to be true servants of the Lord to bring others unto Christ. We had a special fast this past week and it was actually because an investigator asked us to join her in a fast. It was such a special experience for me because I had never felt the spirit so strong in my life. I was in a struggle of my own personal testimony searching for ways to find my way back to my feet. We were having companionship inventory and we talked so much about the many spiritual experiences that we had in our lives. My companion was having a pretty rough week and I who was still trying to get to know the area and love people that I don´t quite know very well yet, I tried to understand her and fulfill her needs as her companion the spirit guided me...We talked things out of how we felt, our preocupations about our investigators and everything. I literally felt the spirit touch the corners of my heart telling me, "Hey. I am here with you. Don´t forget me." I thought about those times I had at home and even on the mission where I realized the spirit really guided me to do the things that I did. I am teaching people about the Holy Ghost and how can I forget that I have the very same gift? Its literally a true gift that is so sacred..what a priviledge to have it with me always.

Did I tell you that Hermana Callata´s family is receiving the missionaries and she fasted and prayed that her mom and dad can get married so her mom can get baptized. Her mom got married last week saturday and will be getting baptized this saturday. Her family is absolutely blessed!

We were able to watch General conference. And I DID NOT FALL ASLEEP. It was like Christmas for me. Excitement and literally attentive. My soul literally hungered to hear the words and messages from the many wonderful leaders of the church. I was able to watch 2 of the sessions in english. I was thinking quite profoundly in what my mission president told us in a conference. He said, "The most important part of this conference is the holy ghost". I thought pretty hard and realized....the most important thing in our lessons with investigators is the holy ghost. My companion and I are working so hard to teach by the spirit and to help our investigators to feel it too. I read 2 Nephi 33:1 this week and the BOM really answered our prayers. But about conference, the holy ghost was the most important thing to me. Because it helped me to become converted unto Christ and to receive personal revelation. The many wonderful lessons about prophets, building and obtaining a testimony, and being parents...it was just exactly what I needed. My questions and doubts were taken care of. The sad part was that in our chapel, yesterday we werent able to watch the morning session because....the internet went out. I missed the prophet´s message. My soul is still hungry.....and so I am downloading his message unto my thumbdrive to watch it in my house at night.

We are in a constant war our here in the mission field. We have investigators progressing ..and it so happens that those who are progressing are also receiving lessons from the Jehova Witnesses. I am not sure if I told you last week but they happened to have their own church conference this past weekend during the same times as our conference, but it is 9am-5pm...that is LONG. My companion and I were so sad to hear that they were planning to go to their conference and not with us. My companion prayed so hard with faith that night before saturday and knew that they would be able to go. The next day she told me she wanted to pass by to see if they were home. THEY WERE HOME. She later told me about the impressions she was getting....she is a spiritual giant.

I had read the emails from mom. Don´t worry about me. Just leave it to God. I had mentioned this before many times. That I really had learned that this is the will of the Lord. And I just need to accept it as it is humbling and endure it to the end. This was never my will and never will be my will. There is a piece of cloth hung in our study room that says "Mi Voluntad" which means "my will". It is ripped from the middle into two halves....it constantly reminds me that this is not my will...this is not my mission...this is not my time...it is all to the Lord. As a representative of Jesus Christ...I have to say that I do feel the feelings that the Lord feels when things like this happen so suddenly...because obviously we aren´t perfect but he loves us perfectly enough to put difficulties in our ways to reach our potential. That I can testify.

I thought of Grandma and Grandpa when the general authority was speaking in Catonese. I said a prayer in my heart that they were listening to his talk...I honestly believe that they did....with God all is posible.

I know that the Lord really loves me....and He is comforting me at this very moment. I had been to the temple and had seen of its importance to get there. Always look towards the temple....I love you all so much. I am so grateful for all of you and all of your prayers.

El Señor nos da las dificultades para que podamos aprender algo mas que podemos imaginarnos. Les testifico que el Señor sabe perfectamente porque estas cosas estan pasando...pero es para que realmente podamos volver en su presencia....en Su gloria y en un gozo pleno y eterno. Sigan orando...sigan adelante...sigan en sus dificultades con fe y esperanza en el Señor y su amor infinito.

Les amo.

Hermana Santeco

randomly seeing a herd of sheep in the street.

my journal. reflecting on the types of food i ate in the mission

First Week in Villa Luz. 7 months downnnnn

I absolutely love my new area that I am in. Not only because they feed me well (hehe), but the Lord has really blessed me to come here with a wonderful companion, but He has really prepared me to leave Chilimarca to come here and to work...to meet new people and to edifiy His church in various parts of Bolivia.

A little about my new companion. Her name is Hermana Callata and she is from Peru. She is my third companion from Peru and 7th companion I had (including the CCM). She is amazing. I had never met someone who was recently baptized (3 years ago) and have such a strong testimony. She is 20 years old and has been out here for 3 months now. She is a spiritual giant.

Getting to know a new area takes a lot of patience but it really is an adventure. All the names of the streets here are like in Quechua....and so I finally understand how difficult it can be to memorize the names of the places in Hawaii...wailele, waipahu, waikiki, hahaha I learn so much about culture. One of the things that I love about this area is that the FOOD IS AMAZING. Our pensionista is a professional cake maker....we eat cake almost everyday. I LOVE IT. And recently it was her daughter´s and one of the elders birthday. The cake is huge. Its a brownies and icecream cake. And so we will be eating it for this entire week. I AM SO HAPPY here. My companion already laughs how I can eat so much and I would always tell her like the first thing I think about in the morning is what we will be eating for lunch and when we are eating lunch I would be thinking what we will be eating for dinner. I have changed, but when it comes to hunger habits, I am still the same old Marisa. One of the members asked me today how do I eat so much and stay so skinny. hehehehehehe.

I have to share a strange experience I had this week. As it is cultural, its normal to breastfeed in public and in many cases, during lessons they will be doing it. But something else happened that I didn´t quite understand why it happened. We were reading the BOM with one of our investigators and a cholita and her daughter came up to her saying something about her eyes hurting. So our investigator said something about milk healing eyes...and so she squirted milk out of herself (I have to speak properly and so I won´t be so descriptive in this email) and into the kid´s eyes. The kid was screaming......I had no idea why she did it right there and then....it was so random. The funny thing was that after that we continued reading the BOM like nothing happened.

I love the Women General Conference we had. I had to watch it in Spanish but all the songs were in English. I felt the spirit so strong and literally know that the Lord loves me. That was something I needed to remember. He loves me and He has placed me here for a purpose to do the things according to God´s will. Another thing that I constantly think about is that this was NEVER my will. It is His. I love that. It makes me forget of myself and selfish desires.

Being here made me really appreciate for the things I had learned in my past area. Here the people aren´t as poor. They are much more normal or rich, but they are really good people. Its a flat area. There are no hills...and lots of cake. I am gonna get fat. But I should enjoy myself right?? Hahaha. My companion and I already keep saying that we want to be together here until Christmas. We want to spend Christmas here together. We have our own little house apart of the house of the 70ty in Bolivia. Its pretty sweet! I love it because living with other sisters is hard. Now we can focus on our companionship and enjoy our time together. We made spam, eggs, and rice for breakfast this morning. Its delicious!We have many investigators that are progressing here. That makes me happy. My companion and I had to pick up 15 people to go to church yesterday. It was a rush, but as satan is working hard to make this work hard, one three of them stayed the 3 hours of church. But 15 people.......wow. It was amazing. I had never felt so worried about having to make them feel comfortable in church and even getting there..that I couldn´t sleep that night before sunday. I kept waking up thinking about them. But really it looks like we will be having a baptism soon. :) There is a 12 year old that we are teaching that fasted with us. It was incredible. He fasted with us and he can understand the BOM perfectly when we read it to him. He prays on his knees and all. It made me miss Jesse!

I am really looking forward to General Conference this weekend. To hear the messages that they have for us. I really can testify that the Lord loves us and has special messages prepared for us to hear and to answer our life questions. I constantly think about how blessed I am to be here and to have a family that is happy and eternal. I look forward to hear all about your general conference experiences.

I love you all and be safe.

Hermana Santeco

Hola Villaluz. Chao Chilimarca.

FAMILIA!!!!

I am leaving this transfer to Villaluz. Its a different part of Cochabamba and you have no idea how I am feeling right now. Mixed emotions to the max. To leave my first area really makes me reflect on everything that I had learned here and how much I had grown. I had grown to really love the people, the food, Bolivia, and everything. I am so grateful for the time that I had here in Linde...in Chilimarca. Last night after when they told us that I was leaving, I was so excited and then I just got so sad. I started to pack my things and I was SO SAD. I hated it. My heart ached to leave the people here and so I got down on my knees and prayed and poured out my heart to God. I realized how grateful I am to be given the opportunity to grow and learn and to teach here. I look back and see the wonderful experiences I had here and really my time here has ended and that I had down my part in God´s will and now He is sending me to someone new. I am His servant and as the song goes, ¨I´ll go where He wants me to go, I´ll say what He wants me to say...¨. It is His will. My companion is opening a new area in Tupiza and firstly the elders said that new elders were going to take over our area, but after a few complications, it so happens the sisters that are already here in our zone are going to take over our area. Its complicated but I really can feel that our area is now in good hands. I am happy to look back and see how we had improved the work in our area and that we are leaving it better than it was when we found it. That is our work and our goal. To edify the church in our areas and hasten the work of the Lord.  

Transfers are crazy...It really gives you a little touch of the goodbyes you are to say in the mission. There is a sister, Hna Zavaleta that I know and am really good friends with. They recently found a tumor in her and she is being sent home tomorrow. Its sad to see so many getting sick and being sent home, but from her...she taught me so much about strength. We are all fasting and praying for her as a mission because when she goes home she will have to get surgery. 

As for my medallon, the bishop here gave me one but I have to pay...but now that you told me that you have one, I will give it back to bishop and ask you to send it to me if you would like or just hold it til I get home. What a miracle and coincidence that you have one. The bishop gave me one and I am actually wearing it now...but I´ll just give it back hahaha. Its like 10 dollars...but yeah. And plus its the silver one too. So please keep that for me! Thank you for the miracle for the day :). 

One night our pensionista did not cook dinner and so we went out to eat with her and her family. It made me think of our family outings to eat. It made me miss you guys so much. We even went out this past weekend with a member for lunch to a restaurant called Tuesdays. Its like Chilis in the states. ITS SO EXPENSIVE and DELICIOUS. We had a contest in our ward with the missionaries of who taught the most lessons in this transfer. My companion and I won. And so we ate :). It was awesome!!

We went out to do a service to kill and take out the feathers of ducks again.....I hated it. I didn´t do anything this time. I stayed in their garden to pull out weeds. And herded the ducks to the little room before they were grabbed out to die. 

I continue to scared north americans here when I speak English hahahaha. They don´t know I´m from the states. hehehehe. 

And yes...I am out for 7 months already its so dang fast. I am so happy to hear about Dad and Gabriel exercising the preisthood. As for Jesse, I hope he will get better soon. I will be praying for you all. Gabriel...enjoy the power of the priesthood. Good job dad for allowing him to begin to use it because when he comes out on the mission, he will be familiar in giving blessings and following the promptings of the spirit. 

I can´t help, but to watch the video ¨The reason behind christmas¨https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-11-018-the-reason-behind-christmas?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2013&lang=eng. I had the urge to watch it because as usual....I do have my downs in the mission and this video helps me to remember that day when I taught a lesson in relief society in the sunset singles branch and how right there and then...I understood the meaning of Christmas. The gift of ourselves....I made the convenant to be here and I promised to give of myself in this calling. This video strengthens me and lifts up my spirit. 

I received the package. Thank you for the spam, the kimchi powder, the blouse, and everything. But if anything....I would love to open a package with letters and notes inside...because as I had said, I do have hard times here in the mission. But you have no idea how happy the other sisters were when they saw that there was spam. Hahaha...they love spam. And the soap...the orange one please! 

I am going to Villaluz where there are lots of mosquitos and no hills. And a really good pension...which means I will get fat. And I will be living with one of the 70! In their house! I am so stoking! 

Know that I love you guys so much and I hope you are all well. Keep going to the temple and all those firesides that I can´t go to. Hahaha. 

Until Next time,

Hermana Santeco

i found it! https://www.lds.org/church/news/ysas-work-to-build-the-kingdom-in-hawaii?lang=eng&query=sunset+beach+branch

La Mano del Señor esta conmigo

Bolivian weddings. Rainy days outdoors and out with a few members of the church :)

they had always warned me that the emails would stop coming and be getting shorter over time...lol its about that time right now

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-07-006-the-hope-of-gods-light?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2014&lang=eng

We had the wonderful priviledge and opportunity to have a training conference with one of the seventy of the church, Elder Wadell. It was exactly what I needed this week. And at the same time we got to hear from our mission president and mission president wife. I learned so much from a 7 hour conference....it was pretty long but I wanted more. I have never felt the spirit so strong in a conference until that very day. Oh I love it. One of the things that I learned is the convenant which we had made when we accepted this calling as missionaries. We made a convenant to God that we would live according to the mission rules and live a higher law as disciples of Christ. Everything that we do is an act of faith. To wake up at 6:30 in the morning is an act of faith. To be obedient in general is an act of faith. Everything we do shows our faith in Christ. It was such a beautiful conference that I will never forget. Hermana Hansen the mission president wife was saying how she was in the new mission president conference before with all the apostles and how she saw Elder Hale mouth the words of the song being played on the piano and having tears in his eyes. When we sang the opening hymn, she just bawled in tears. It touched my heart so much...the spirit was there with us. 

 It was the opportunity to put into practice of what we have learned this week and we had so many miracles. I mentioned before how we fasted and prayed with so much faith that we would be able to find a way to receive permission from one of the father of our investigator. The day after the conference we went to her house and lo and behold, he was home. HE WAS HOME. HE IS NEVER HOME. and we talked to him....not knowing what would happen...and I was soooooo nervous. But we did it. We talked to him and explained to him all that we were feeling...I trusted in the spirit to guide me to help me say something that would bring the spirit and help him feel that his daughter is ready to be baptized...but still we don´t have permission....but we do have permission to continue teaching her. He wants her to have a perfect knowledge of the bible...we have a lot of people who want perfect knowledge and so we really work hard with teaching them about faith. But I am so amazed at how the Lord has given us a way to bring more souls unto Christ. But that is not it...he will be home these two weeks. The Lord has given us two weeks to teach him and his family the gospel and two weeks to bring the spirit into their home to help them feel the need of the gospel. Its a miracle and I am so happy to see the Lord´s hand in this work. And when it comes to when things don´t go the way I wanted to, I just have to remember that there is a time and place for everything in the will of the Lord. 

I have one week left in this transfer exchange and I have no idea if I will be leaving this area. But I will know next sunday night...and I am so nervous...hahaha. We also had another miracle last night. We did not have any set appointments after two set appointments in the late afternoon and I had such a strong feeling to go and visit one of the sisters that is a single mother and has 5 kids. I told my companion, hey I think we should visit this sister...I feel that we need to. And so we went. She needed us. She cried so much saying how much she was struggling. Two jobs, 5 kids, no husband, no money, an incomplete house....it broke my heart. And there we were teaching about the importance of tithing...but one of the things that we learned in the conference with Elder Wadell is that when we teach about tithing, we need to teach it with power and the spirit. I explained to her that right there and right then, I finally knew why we needed to visit her, but before I had no clue why, but the spirit guided me. I said how I know that sometimes we don´t have absolutely nothing...nothing nothing nothing to give with it comes to tithing, but we must have faith and that God will provide a way and it is because He loves us. In John 15 it talks about being surrounded in His love. We can be filled of His love when we keep His commandments. She cried...and it was just amazing how the Lord guides us through the spirit. 

I talked to the bishop in our ward here and I asked if I could buy a new medallion from the ward. He said he is looking into it, but as of now he only has the silver ones, but its all good. Hahaha we will see. 

I am really enjoying my time here. I learn so much. So much patience and love. I am really learning that this was never my mission, but the Lord´s mission. At the conference, Elder Wadell made me think so much about the Atonement. In such a way I had never thought or seen it as before. The mission teaches you about the Atonement and you literally walk through the life of the Lord here. You go through all sorts of emotions of sadness, joy, and all types...and its the same as the Lord has done...but we are not perfect. But we are to be perfected in Christ. 

I am so grateful for the calling that I have to be a representative of Christ. I enjoy it so much. I had never wanted to be so obedient and worthy as much as I do now...well I want to be EXTRA obedient and worthy now. hahaha you all know me...miss goody two shoes. But really. I cannot go back to the old Marisa that I was because if so, I would not be applying what I had learn in the mission to the rest of my life. The mission trains you to face the trials and to face them with faith.

I hope you are all enjoying your time at home. I miss you soooo much and I love you all too. I send all my love to the ward and the beautiful 808 state of Hawaii. 

Until next Pday,

Con mucho amor,

Hna Santeco

PS: Papayas here are HUGEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!