nobody knows tan lines like a sister missionary

and if you think you do, you are mistaken.

you are very mistaken

but anyway

okay

let's talk about how this week was SO SLOW but also SO FAST at the same time

and I just am really tired

just really i am quite tired

i dont even know what to say so i'm just going to answer all the questions that my momma asked me and then go to sleep forever

okay

so

how am i? 

i am doing well gracias i just am SO TIRED

my hair... i have thought about a thousand times that i want to cut it all off forever but i will not do that no no

i have thought about trimming it as well but there just isnt really time to do any things and i worry too much and dont trust chilean hairstylists so i just

mejor no [better not]

what is entailed in training a new missionary?

a lot

of

talking

AND STRICT OBEDIENCE

and also a lot of very uncomfortable silences

and also an hour of something called '12 semanas' [12 weeks] before we leave every day and it is HORRENDOUS but it's okay, it's okay, it's all fine and we're alive 

but uh, yeah... that. Basically, you can tell a new missionary as many times as you want what they need to do, but they dont really learn to do it until they do it. and for that, there are many awkward silences. because really, to get a missionary out of their comfort zone and into the missionary zone (because i am A THOUSAND PERCENT POSITIVE that the comfort zone is something VERY FAR AWAY from the missionary zone) you have to just stop talking, even though you already know exactly what should be said next and exactly what needs to be done and look at them

just look at them

and they arent going to want to say anything

and theyre going to make a face like 'save me' and maybe a few times youre going to give up and save them

but there comes a point when you have to just say

'save yourself hahahaha' (but not in a menacing way like i just wrote it in a caring way DO EVERYTHING WITH LOVE) 

and then you'll wait a few more seconds and the missionary inside of you is trying to physically escape and climb into the body of your companion but they have to find their own missionary self inside

and then theyll keep looking at you

and youll just keep looking at them

and it's a game of stubbornness 

and then

after a lot of stubbornness

the new missionary

will realize that they are not going to win

and then...

THE MISSIONARY INSIDE OF THEM EMERGES AND THEY DO THE THING

AND SOMETIMES IT'S A LITTLE SLOPPY BUT HEY WE'RE ALL A LITTLE SLOPPY SOMETIMES RIGHT

and then

buff, polish, repeat

everyday always woohoOOOOOOOO 

what does our day look like?

every morning we wake up at 7 and then do a half hour of exercises and then we get ready and eat food and at8:30 we have personal study and then at 9:15 we have companionship study and then at 10:00 we do the hour of 12 semanas (it's a 12 week training program and there are videos and lots of reading involved) and then at 11:00

WE LEAVE FOR THE STREETS AND WE WORK AND KNOCK DOORS AND TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE STREET AND AVOID THE HORSE POOP BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT WE LIVE RIGHT BY THE HORSE RACE TRACK THING I DONT KNOW WHAT ITS CALLED IN ENGLISH HIPODROMO 

and we work and then at 1:00 we have lunch

and then at 2:00 we have an hour of study of the language and yes, i do try to remember english and teach my companion what little i know

and then at 3:00 

WE LEAVE FOR THE STREETS AND WE WORK AND KNOCK DOORS AND TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE STREET ETC ETC ETC and the afternoon is probably the hardest part of the day because it's hot and also youve just eaten a chilean lunch and here the lunch is the biggest so it's like have a three course meal and then trying to not die BUT IT IS SO WORTH IT AND SO GREAT AND I LOVE TO BE A MISSIONARY EVEN THOUGH IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE

and then at 6:30 we have an hour to rest (this does not mean sleep) and maybe eat something and then at 7:30 we leave again and work until 9:30 (10:00 at the latest) and come back to the apartment, plan for the next day, and then go to bed 

that is a day

and unfortunately in our sector, a lot of people are not very receptive or work in the hipodromo so theyre never home at regular hours, stuff like that, so we spend a LOT of time in the street looking for new people to teach. 

but something great about our ward...

we always have lunch

i have not had to make my own lunch a single time since i've been here, the members are AWESOME and we always have lunch always always SHOUT OUT VIVACETA 

*Fredo... hmm... well, we were going to have a lesson with him, but he forgot and didnt show up. And the other day we saw him in the street and told us he was going to be at church but didnt go... and just... well, okay, we're gonna see what happened exactly... hopefully he still has interest and just something came up... we'll see soon enough

also holy cannoli

everybody is all

casándose [getting married] and stuff

WHAT EVEN

EVERYBODY IS GETTING MARRIED LITERALLY EVERYBODY I KNOW IN THE WORLD IS GETTING MARRIED maybe not but like

close

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU AND FELICIDADES 

what else

this week during one of our lunches, i had a tickle in my throat and i couldnt help it 

i coughed

and my mouth was full of salad

and it all landed on my arm and then i just looked at it in shock

but dont worry the member had left the room for a second and i was only with the other missionaries so we're okay but whoa that was an experience

also somebody that we were talking to this week told us that he was a 'Christian Atheist' but i'm not sure how that works exactly...

ALSO I'M LEARNING FRENCH. I can read pretty much anything but haha

literally who knows how to say the things

literally who

i think the french just make it up every time

they all just pretend theyre speaking a language but it's just for show

but anyway, i need to go now but have a great week everybody and talk to y'all next week!

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