Robbed by Gypsies!!

So

haha

that happened.

DON´T WORRY THOUGH WE´RE FINE IT WAS IN THE STREET IT WASN´T EVEN AT OUR APARTMENT THEY DON´T KNOW WHERE WE LIVE IT´S FINE but yes we definitely were robbed by gypsies this week on Bellavista.

SO, let me tell you the story. 

Okay, so, what happened is, we were walking along, trying to find an address of a referencia that didn´t actually exist (super sad face) and then we saw these two ladies walking up in front of us and as soon as I saw them I was kinda like, ´Whoa they look sorta like gypsies lol´ in my mind.  We were going to walk past them but they stopped in front of us so we stopped and were like, ´Well hello there´ and they introduced themselves immediately as gypsies and we were like, ´Well okay then´ and then they started trying to like prophesy about us and stuff that we were preaching the gospel and we basically were just like, 'Yes that is true' and then this other gypsy lady came up from behind them and there were three and at that point I was kinda like 'Now wait a second' (more than I had been a second before) and they started asking us if they could read our palms and stuff so I was like 'Nah I'm good gracias' but they wouldn't leave us alone and then the one that had come last grabbed Hermana Rhoads' hand and I had a little mini panic attack and then she pulled Hermana Rhoads over into the bushes and so I went over there by her and the two original ones were trying to talk to me while the last one was doing all this stuff trying to read Hermana Rhoads' hand and stuff and then the two that were talking to me started asking me about how to get a visa to go to the US and all this stuff and she was like 'If you marry a Chilean man, can he go back to the US with you?' and I was like

'I have literally no idea' 

And then they kept talking to me about visas and India and I kept inching closer to Hermana Rhoads and then she started asking me about where we lived and so obviamente I didn't tell her anything and then she was trying to get in my bag and asked me if we were the type of missionaries that gave out gifts and stuff so I was like, 

'As a matter of fact, we are!' and then she was like 'I believe in God very much he is all he is everything' and stuff and I was like, 'Well we believe in God too!' and then she was like 'What church are you from, Catholic or Evangelical' and I was like, 'The Mormon Church actually' and so then she was like pointing at my tag and stuff and all that and was very close to me and I was like, 'Hey remember how we give gifts,' and I usually keep my pamphlets and Book of Mormons in my outside pocket and my precious things in my inside pocket so I opened the outside pocket and took out a Restoration pamphlet and gave it to her and she was like, 'How much is this worth?' and I was like (this is how my bad Spanish translated) 'Well we give them away for free but the message is your salvation' and then I stowed that in a different part of my mind to laugh at later because it was dang funny BUT ANYWAY then she was going on about how she loved to read things to become closer to God and stuff and then I glanced over to make sure Hermana Rhoads was okay and she was stepping away from the lady that had been talking to her and the lady had like leaves and water and weird stuff in her hands and Hermana Rhoads said, 'Vamos' quite firmly and then we pushed through them and left very quickly and then Hermana Rhoads told me that she had stolen her ring and so that was a not cool and we were not a happy couple and we were also afraid a bit so we called our District Leader and asked him if we could fight them and he said, "No," and then we asked if he could fight them and he said, "No," and then we asked why and he said because "We're representatives of Christ," and then I said (a bit later) 'Even Jesus flipped tables in the temple' and yeah so

THAT WAS SUCH AN EXPERIENCE THO

I TOTALLY SHARED THE GOSPEL WITH SOME GYPSIES THAT ROBBED US and it was totally neat.

But this does bring up the stuff that has been happening nearby, what with the flooding in Antofagasta and the volcano in the south and also the dealings with missionaries and after our run in with the gypsies, we took a special route to the office and talked with Elder Bishoff (secretario) and he helped us program all the special numbers into our phone (gotcha covered Momma) and Elder Jaeger (pensionista) informed us that they are currently doing safety checks on all the apartments and houses in our sector. Plus, I don`t remember if I mentioned this before, all the elders live in the same building as us, and there's a gate and security cameras and all many types of protection. Hermana Rhoads and I are being very safe and very careful and we actually have been given the go ahead to head back to our home a bit early in the evening, so we're being safe and we're well taken care of. On gypsy day though, literally every person we had talked to, members and nonmembers alike, had warned us to stay safe and had told us about what happened in Concepción. And we're following all the rules in the Missionary Handbook... which brings me to another point

I need scripture cases! And I would sort of like to get at least one of the cool leather kind that everybody brings back from their missions but the thing is that they are slightly pricey, but they`re also in the handbook, so if it`s okay, I would like to get definitely one for my LDM and possibly one for my Biblia, and that`s all I have to say about that. 

Oh boy, what else; I feel like I have a ton more to say! 

OH YES

We had intercambios this week and I went with Hermana Gaona (Hermana líder 1) to Independencia and we taught an eternal investigator se llama Juan Carlos. 

Oh boy.

That also was an experience.

So, there are a lot of places here on corners and such that just look like they`re junk lots but they actually are where people live. So, Hermana Gaona and I showed up at one of these and she goes over to the corner, away from the actual door, and grabs a rock out of a little niche in the brick, and hits the rock 10 or so times on the wall in a certain space. And then this little tiny door opened up and this little tiny man invited us in and we kept the door open and he set up a little stool for us with some newspaper on it and there was one single lightbulb hanging from the 'ceiling' (it was a tarp and it hardly covered anything) and then he came over to us and handed us a bottle of Visine and told us that we needed to put the drops in his eyes because he couldn't do it and he needed help (and, perhaps I didn't mention this, he's a very loud little man. He's not just a little soft spoken man, he's a little slightly crazy man) and so we put the drops in his eyes and then we verified his progress and just

I dunno man

that was an experience

He has had all of the lessons a billion times and he goes to church every Sunday but he won`t get baptized because he won`t quit smoking and he doesn`t want to. His registro in the carpeta is literally 20 pages long. One day... 

But anyway. 

Also yesterday we took two of our investigators to a baptismal service for a boy in Recoleta Ward and they asked a lot of good questions and we gave a lot of answers and it was really good and we are trying quite hard to get them to do the baptism but they live together, entonces, no pueden. But we are still trying. Much try. Very faith. Wow.

What else can I even say? Maybe something spiritual? 

Well, we went to a FHE for a less active member whose family are not members but when we got there, we found out her family didn't want to participate so we ate pie with her and talked about our feelings and even though that sounds silly, it was really spiritual. I was able to tell her about my experience coming back to church and Hermana Rhoads and I were able to help her feel more hope for her future with her family and guess what

She came to church yesterday! 

CHI CHI CHI 

LE LE LE 

VIVA CHILE

And that`s basically how we felt. Also, a less active that we had stopped by to see but who hadn't been at home showed up at church on Sunday (WHAT???) and also one of the investigators that we took to the baptismal service! And also like four other people that we're working with and just

wHOA

It was really neat. All of everything is just really neat. Every single day I have the amazing opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and share with people the things that I know to be true and the things that have changed my life and every day, even if there are slow days, and even if we get robbed by gypsies, every day I know that I am doing the Lord's work and there is no place I would rather be than here. 

ALSO IF THERE IS A PACKAGE GOING TO COME ANYTIME SOON

I NEED

FOUNDATION (it's not urgent I'm just using caps because)

BECAUSE

THEY DON`T SELL FOUNDATION HERE THAT IS LIGHT ENOUGH FOR MY SKIN LOL

They just don`t 

It's not a thing

ALSO QUICK I FORGOT TO LAST WEEK SAY BREAK A LEG AND BUENA SUERTE TO THE DRAMA CLUB WITH THEIR SHOW I AM SURE THAT IT WAS SO WONDERFUL WONDERFUL JOB TO ALL OF YOU SENDING YOU LOVES FROM CHILE

Also I forgot to mention that in my area there is a place called

**+/PATRONATO/+** 

it is like

I can`t

I can't go there (I mean I can but I can't you know)

it's

so many clothes

I

I can't

THEY SELL EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD AND SO MANY CLOTHES AND I JUST

I WANT TO SELL ALL MY CLOTHES AND BUY ALL OF THE CLOTHES HERE

I WANT THEM ALL

HOLY CANNOLI

also let me see if there are any questions you asked that I am forgetting

Also the water is safe! so I drink a lot of water and a lot of juice

I have had more juice here than I ever knew existed

but the milk

the milk is weird

I miss normal milk

Also  my feet are gr9! [That means great in Elizabethan] I had a small trouble with almost getting blisters but I slapped moleskin on there and now my shoes are formed enough to my feet that I don`t need the moleskin anymore and I am getting nice tan lines and callouses but anyway 

Also, we sing every day! I forgot if I mentioned that Hermana Rhoads is an AMAZING singer so we sing all the time and sometimes for language study we just sit around and sing hymns in Spanish for an hour and it`s really great and we always start lessons with hymns and we just sing a whole lot of hymns and it`s really good I love the singy sing

ALSO ANDREW AND JEFFREY AND ROBBY OH MY

I JUST

WHOA

FEELS [She misses her brothers]

ALSO CONNER I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE PUT HIS PAPERS IN [Her friend Connor got his mission call to Rio de Janeiro Brazil]

Literally everybody still struggles with my name. I`ve started introducing myself as 'Hermana Chomburr' because that's how they say it anyway. 

ALSO HERMANA RHOADS IS PART OF THE FAMILY NOW SHE CAN HAND FART

oh yes

by the way

I have been teaching all the missionaries how to hand fart and do the whistle thing

hehe

yeah

I'm pretty popular tbh

Holy cannoli this thing is long

Okay

gotta go now

Momma I love you so much and I love everybody in the family and everybody and everybody and I just love you a whole lot and I will talk to you on

on

ON SUNDAY [Missionaries get to call/Skype home twice per year - Mother's Day and Christmas. This will be Hermana Schomburg's first call home! Yay!]

HAHAHAHAHA

Okay yeah so that`ll happen

OH WAIT I FORGOT TO SAY

I`m very sorry to disappoint Chandler, but I can't do mate. I just can't. IT'S SO STRONG. Maybe one day, but not today.

Also they make everything with cilantro here!

I don't like cilantro.

Love you all! Ciao for now :)

Until we meet again, 

Hermana Schomburg