shame on me, shame on my cow

HHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYY alright so I apologize for not writing very much besides three things for the last week, and I apologize if I can't remember anything of what I've done... just know that I have been working SO 12 HARD with Hermana Ferrin :) 

She is just so... SHE IS JUST SO AWESOME AND I AM SO GRATEFUL TO BE WITH HER :D Hna Ferrin is from the grand state of Massachusetts and she, like me, has a brother getting married soon! And she is really super cool and we're both nerds and every once in a while we talk about how nerdy we are. Also she plays piano and harp and is super dooper :)

I CANNOT EVEN HANDLE THE PICTURES OF SHOOTING OH MAN SHOOOOOOOOOOOTIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG QUE DIVERTIDO [WHAT FUN] UGH

[Family shooting day - always a great time for all! 

Hermana Schomburg failed to send photos this week, so you're stuck with these.] :)

Okay, what do I have to say that is actually useful or informative on any level?...

Well, we visited a couple of our old investigators (old as in we dropped them for a time, they are not old people) and set them with a baptismal date! Woohoo! Also, we had intercambios this week and I stayed in my sector with Hermana Duffy (the mission nurse and also now one of my hermana leaders) and we started on some changes to get the elders in the office working a little more in their sector so we can work a little more in ours and not waste so much time running back and forth in cualquier lado del [either side of] sector. 

OH YES

and also

we had a very special clase de distrito on jueves [district class on Thursday] and we have some more new rules. Starting next week, I will only have 1 hour to email, which means that these things are probably going to be a lot shorter. There were also other rules but I believe that they were all things that we were already doing, y por eso [and so], I don't remember exactly what they were haha PROMISE I AM OBEDIENT

We had a day this week when all of our citas [appointments] failed (does that even  make sense in english) so we contacted EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT WE SAW. That was quite a party. 

OH YES

ALSO

THIS IS THE BIGGEST THING

THAT I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT

this week

we had

as a ward

an

activity 

[A ward is a congregation.]

WE HAVENT HAD A WARD ACTIVITY THE ENTIRE TIME I'VE BEEN IN THIS WARD BUT WE HAD A WARD ACTIVITY CALLED THE BATTLE OF THE CHEFS AND EVERYBODY BROUGHT POSTRES [desserts] AND THE BISHOP AND THE STAKE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTE Y HERMANA VIDELA JUDGED ALL THE POSTRES AND GUESS WHAT I BROUGHT

ADIVINE QUÉ [GUESS WHAT]

I BROUGHT

brownies

but

okay there is a story to go along with this

SOOOO, we still don't have an oven haha. But, long story short, E' Vizcarra calls us to tell us some cosas [things] and I mention that we don't have a cocina [kitchen] to bake brownies for the thingy and he says 'VENGAN ACÁ VENGAN VENGAN AHORA MISMO' [COME HERE COME NOW COME] (that means basically 'gimone lee' (quote from Rush Hour)) but we were in a lesson when he called (HE CALLED THREE TIMES I THOUGHT IT WAS AN EMERGENCY OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE NOT ANSWERED I AM NOT A BAD MISSIONARY) and so I was like 'yeah okay LUEGO POR FAVOR' and so then later, we called him to tell him to start the oven in the office and E' Ortega answered and he was like 'haha uh no estamos en la oficina llame a los otros elderes' entonces [we are not in the office call the other elders then], I called the other elders and I ended up calling one of the asistentes, E' Adcock and he was like 'well actually the oven is already on... and there are already brownies in it... because i'm bringing brownies...'

AND I JUST COULDNT EVEN HANDLE IT BECAUSE I AM THE BROWNIE MAKER OF THIS SECTOR HOW DARE HE

but he said we could come anyway so we went to the office to bake our brownies but for some reason it was taking close to 90 years for them to bake so we had to leave without them (the Elders had to go back to the office later to get something else so they brought them then) but LONG STORY SHORT

the judges ate the things

and 

they judged them

and had 1st 2nd and 3rd places

and okay lol okay this happened also: we had to write on a paper the name of our dishes but the elders had disappeared so we had to write theirs for them and their brownies were made FROM THE BOX NOT EVEN WITH A RECIPE FROM THE BOX AND THEY PUT ICECREAM ON TOP LITERALLY JUST THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS LITERALLY CANNOT HANDLE but anyway, so we wrote on the papers 'brownies de caja' [box brownies] and 'brownies de casa' [brownies from home] and it was really funny, a lot funnier in spanish actually haha wow 

but anyway

so they started to announce the winners

and they said

'3rd place......

BROWNIES...............

DE...........

[keep scrolling haha]

caja'

AND I JUST 

I DIDNT

THE BROWNIES

MY BROWNIES

THEY DIDNT WIN ANYTHING I HAVE BROUGHT SHAME TO OUR NAME I DIDNT MEAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEN 

but i am also 99% positive that there was some sort of corruption involved Elder Adcock is after all one of the assistents to president and president was a judge if you get what I'm saying

it was rigged

it was rigged

also there was a thing that happened called it took FOREVER for my brownies to cook for some reason and we had to leave before they were done (the elders forgot something in the office and had to go back halfway through the activity so they brought my brownies back with them) and I put E' Wilcox in charge of them and he promised to care for them as if they were his children

but i think he forgot lol

so anyway, that activity was way super fun and also some members brought friends and we have 3 new investigators from that now! 

and also, well, this week was kinda rough lesson wise because everybody in this sector works and it is near impossible to find people that will actually be there for their citas, but last night we had a really WONDERFUL lesson with somebody that we contacted and we have A LOT of hope for them. God really does answer our prayers and will always bless us, even if it's not as quickly or in the way that we would like :)

but anyway

I AM OUT OF TIME AND ALSO I FORGOT MY CAMERA TODAY BUT I LOVE YOU ALL AND MY FACE IS SMILING AT THE COMPUTER SO JUST PICTURE THAT I GUESS

CCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

no time

[Hermana Schomburg apparently had little time to read/write email yesterday. No explanation, just no time.  She did manage to send several photos to her dad however, so this week's blog post is of a pictorial nature - her last P-Day activity with Hermana Rhoads and just before they said, "Good-bye."]

I HAVE to read your email later but i love you and I WILL WRITE ACTUAL WORDS NEXT WEEK I SENT PICTURES TO DAD ALL IS WELL LOVE MY NEW COMPANION GOT A BLESSING BECAUSE MY FEET AND BACK HURT WENT TO THE TEMPLE WITH SOME INVESTIGATORS LOVE YOU NEED GARMENTS ALSO MORE DETALES NEXT EMAIL LOVE YOU

i wasn't kidding about the cardboard cutout

[at the wedding]

Andrew has to dance with it too.

also, I apologize way way way in advance, I forgot to bring my camera with me... so... even though we did a heck of a lot of things this week for which I have pictures, you don't get to see them until next week! Haha! 

Okay, SOOOOOOOoooo

cambios [changes/transfers]

I have so many things to say and therefore, I am going to say them. 

So, we got a call from Elder Norried (our district leader) on Friday and he told us he had cambio news and that.... HERMANA RHOADS AND I WERE STAYING TOGETHER IN THE SECTOR FOR ANOTHER CAMBIO so we were just SO excited and happy and started making plans AL TIRO (right away) for all of our P-Days and all the stuff we still needed to do and stuff and we went to church yesterday and all that and made some appointments and all that good stuff, and confidently told everybody, 'No need to worry or be sad because both of us are staying!' and then

haha

last night (late) as in we had already planned for the next day...

Elder Adcock calls.

And we didn't really think anything of it at first because we were blowing bubbles or something and then Elder Adcock goes, 'Hermana Rhoads, pack you bags!'

and

so

uh

yeah she packed her bags and this morning we went to the transfer meeting and basically we just traded companions with one of the other wards. 

And I am still in a little bit of shock because, well, it was completely unexpected. But, that is not to say that I am not excited to be working with my new companion, Hermana F! She is from Massachusetts... and that is all I have discovered as of yet because we came straight here to write after the transfer meeting (since the transfer meeting is in the office and our sector has the office in it)... so, I will tell you more about her next week ;) 

I am, however, KIND OF FREAKING OUT BECAUSE THIS MEANS THAT NOW I AM COMPAÑERA MAYOR AND I HAVE TO LEAD THE SECTOR BUT I AM STILL JUST A YOUTH WH

HOW

I

I AM JUST A YOUTH CAN I EVEN LEAD A SECTOR CAN I EVEN DO THAT?

I hope so.

OJALÁ [hopefully]

But anyway, THAT. 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Alright, what else has happened that I need to mention?

I don't have my planner from the last transfer with me so I cannot remember a single thing at all ever. And there were funny things written in there, I know there were.

Pucha...

um...

Well, we went to a place called Quinta Normal for our P-Day last Tuesday and it was really cool and we rode around in pedal boats and had a race and then we went to an outdoor train muesum where there were just so many trains everywhere and then Hna Rhoads and I took a detour and went to the National Museum of Chile and took pictures with some French people and learned more about the Mapuche and all the special things about Chile and it was SUPER COOL.  [The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina.]

What else happened.... hmm... the pensionista referred to me as 'Hermana Flaite' and to be honest I really don't know why because I do not talk flaite nor do I look flaite AT ALL. [Flaite = ghetto]

Did I mention that the other day Du Hast was playing in a store and I was jokingly mouthing the words at Hermana Rhoads because she had never heard it and she thought I was crazy because I knew it and then the store manager came up to me and asked if I was German and started trying to make me speak in German and didn't believe that I wasn't German because of my name? because that happened

also, most people that meet me think I'm German right off the bat. And... so... that...

ALSO SPEAKING OF MUSIC

WE WERE VISITING AN INVESTIGATOR A FEW DAYS AGO AND 'TIME IN A BOTTLE' STARTED PLAYING IN THE RESTAURANT WHERE SHE WORKS AND IT WAS SO CRAZY

Also, people here really like 90s music. We hear a lot of Britney and Backstreet Boys at any given moment. 

This email is so very scattered, but that is kind of how I am feeling right now.

Yesterday the lights went out in half of our sector in the night so we were in the dark and it was raining and so we spent some time at a member's house talking and stuff and I don't think I've mentioned this family before and I can't believe that I haven't, but the V family is the ACTUAL BEST FAMILY. Oh wait, I mentioned when Hna V said 'arms up' but anyway, they are the best. They are so cool. They always have a little pancito or tecito or whatever and they're just really super dooper cool. 

BUT ANYWAY, I HAVE GOT TO GO BUT I LOVE YOU ALL AND I PROMISE I WILL WRITE MORE PEOPLE NEXT WEEK: WE'RE KINDA LIMITED ON TIME TODAY BUT YEAH OKAY ANYWAY I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH AND I WILL HAVE 40000 COSAS TO TELL YOU NEXT WEEK I AM SURE

BESITOS <3 <3 <3 <3

CCCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

spanglish tho

How does the beginning of this week find me, my mother asks? WELL, it finds me in an internet place writing emails :) I apologize for not writing yesterday, we changed our P-Day to Tuesday (just only for this week) because we are having an hermana activity together today and doing fun things in museums and stuff, so, we had to change our P-Day. But just for this week. 

SO, cosas [things] that we did this week:

I don't even remember. I just know that I am pretty much 100% drained. I just am feeling... tired. Geez louise, what a tiring experience a mission is. 

Alright, let me try to remember some things that we did this week.

Monday: we literally didn't do anything because there was a partido [soccer match] so once we were done with P-Day (which was just only packing and working on fixing our carpeta [folder] because we're changing our mini sectors) we just went home and planned and then sat and listened to the entire world cheer as we didn't watch the partido. que pena [shame] :S 

Tuesday: Well, we visited the hermana that called us and told us she was going inactive and we talked and she has more... I'm not sure how to translate this into english... she has more ganas [desire] to go to church, haha... ganas... that's like... she... UGH I LITERALLY DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO SAY THAT IN ENGLISH IS THERE EVEN A THING THAT MEANS GANAS SOMEBODY HELP ME OUT HERE 

then we also visited our investigator who lost her fecha [baptismal date] but then who we got a new fecha and talked about the priesthood and offered to have some people come and give her a blessing of health because she has been feeling lots of pain in lots of places lately

and then we went and helped a member of the ward with some of her english homework and she was giving a presentation on a time she went to a dinosaur museum but we couldnt quite help her say dinosaur the way that it is supposed to be said and so she just says 'dan-o-sour' like she's from the south or something and it cracks me up every time

Wednesday: well, we taught an investigator that lives in our old building and we are looking to have a family home evening with her sometime... but the rest of our appointments fell through *exhaustedly sad emoticon*

Thursday: WE MOOOOOOOOOOVED WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO except that we didn't quite move... we moved all of our things over except for the big things and then suddenly it was very late and E' Vizcarra was like, 'we'll move the rest over tomorrow, you guys have to sleep in the old apartment again tonight' and it was a great inconvenience, but we managed. 

Friday: on Friday we had interviews with president! And I asked him if I could learn french and he said to go right ahead! WWWOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IMMA LEARN FRENCH TAMBIÉN [as well]

also we moved the remainder of our things but we didn't and still don't have any way to do anything with our appliances... and

de hecho [in fact]

there are some things going on

the game is afoot

basically long story short, we got the gas hooked up and we working with the califon (I don't know what that is in English or anything) but anyway, so Hna Rhoads went to take a shower and the water was hot and eveything and it was good and then it turned off de repente [suddenly], so I went to go check it out and there waS SCARY BLACK SMOKE FILLING THE ROOM IT WAS LIKE WEIRD OIL SCARY SMOKE AND IT MADE THE WALLS BLEED AND IT WAS SO SCARY AND I WAS SO AFRAID SO WE CALLED E' VIZCARRA AND HE WAS LIKE 'okay i will look at it' BUT HE COULDNT COME UNTIL LATE AND THEN HE COULDNT COME AT ALL BUT THE DUEÑO [owner] AND OTHER PEOPLE SHOWED UP WITHOUT WARNING AND WERE DOING THINGS AND THEN SAID 'DO NOT SHOWER WHATEVER YOU DO OR YOU MIGHT EXPLODE' SO THAT 

so we have to find another apartment 

Saturday: Well, la copa america was on saturday! Happy 4th of July Chile! lolol okay yeah so that was fun and we had to be inside at 5:00 because of the game and then

geez louise and then

when we won in the PKs, there was celebrating all night

I wish I could explain

we live on a very busy street and there were people driving past honking and yelling and screaming LITERALLY UNTIL 6 AM

LITERALLY THE ENTIRE NIGHT

IT DIDN'T STOP UNTIL THE EARLY MORNING

AND EVEN THEN IT WAS GOING ON A BIT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE AFTER THAT

LITERALLY WHAT EVEN

THE CELEBRATIONS THOUGH

Even though they had to stay inside
they found a way to celebrate!

Sunday: we went to church and when the bishop bore his testimony, he started with talking about how happy he was that Chile won and it was just hilarious. Also, we have an Argentinian in our ward who served in our mission and came back after for work and school and we were very proud of him because he didn't say a thing about soccer in his testimony. Two thumbs up Argentina, two thumbs up. 

and yesterday? well, yesterday we worked and taught and worked and taught. and have I mentioned recently that nobody can say my name still?

Because nobody can say my name. People usually try for a second but they get tired of looking at my tag and I get tired of showing them my tag (because I'm so tall they can't see it) but they will always try first and usually it's something like 'Hermana Shorm' or just 'Hermana Ese' or 'Hermana Chomber' but yesterday there was a really rEALLY GREAT ONE

Yesterday somebody called me...

wait for it

Hermana

Sherbert

just call me that from now on

soy hermana sherbert

But anyway. I don't even know what else I have to share. Maybe something, maybe nothing... I have a list of things that I keep in my planner to remind me of things to say, maybe i'll just give you that list now

1) we were sitting down taking a little break the other day and this dog came and sat by us and crossed his legs very dainty and we were eating chips and accidentally dropped one, so we tossed it over to him and he looked at us and so, like we do in our house when we narrate the dogs' thoughts, I said, 'I'm a dog, not a savage' in a British accent and then we laughed for days

2) I miss trail mix, breakfast, and beef jerky

3) I expect a lifesize cardboard cutout of myself at Andrew and Sarah's wedding

4) there is no chex in chile and where there isn't chex, there isn't puppy chow :(

that's it that's all i'm a boring person

now let me say something else that has more value

Well, my momma asked me what the most spiritually awakening moment is that I have had yet and honestly... I am not sure. To be one hundred percent honest, I am having to be spiritually uplifted (and by that I mean held up) every day lately. This sector is excruciatingly hard to work in. I don't really talk about it a lot, but the mission seriously is very hard and it is very hard to keep up my... animos... [encouragement] not sure how that translates either... but anyway, I have relied more on the Lord in the last 12 weeks than ever before in my life. Missionary work is a whole rollercoaster of ups and downs: ups when you get to teach lessons and feel the spirit and know what the investigators finally understand, downs when investigators drop you (like happened with one of our best investigators this week. She was the older one that we were teaching english and that told us right away that she wanted to be baptized). There's a constant mix of emotions, especially when it's hard. A mix between thinking that you're not doing a speck of good in the world but knowing that you are. I can't imagine what it must have felt like for the Savior to go about doing good and leading a perfect life only to have people spit and mock as he went along. 

Sometimes I get stuck thinking too much about myself and how hard this is, but I remembered something the other day. 

This is not my mission. 

I may be on a mission, but my mission is that of Jesus Christ. I don't have time to think about myself. I can't afford to let a single soul perish because of my own selfish thoughts. 

I have two names on my plaque: the name of my family and the name of Jesus Christ and for 18 months, that is who I am. I am Hermana Schomburg, a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ and I am on his mission, being his hands on the earth today. There is not a second to lose thinking about myself. 

So, as an answer to that question, I think the biggest spiritual awakening has been knowing that none of this is for me. And knowing that I can't do it alone. I know that Jesus Christ and God love me because I have made it this far and I am going to make it farther. I know because they have been my constant crutch throughout the last almost 4 months and that they aren't going to leave me. When we feel alone and without them, it is because we have left them, not the other way around. They love us SOOOO much; so much more than we could ever imagine. 

I know with all my heart that this gospel is true and I know that He lives. I know that He loves us. He loves every last one of us and He has a plan for us. I KNOW these things: it's not just a belief or a hope. I know that He loves us like I know that the sun gives us light, that the sky is blue: I know that He lives and I know that He loves us and I testify of those things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Well, that's all I have for today folks, see ya around next week!

Love and besitos [kisses] from Chile <3

-Hermana Sherbert