Adventures of a Tall Girl: They Call Me Elder Schomburg

Well, not everybody calls me Elder Schomburg, most people on the streets just say 'Elder', lol, like anybody can say Schomburg (but the new asistente's name is Elder Adcock and he has nearly as much trouble as I do when it comes to people proouncing your name in church). But anyway, let me explain all this. So, most people associate missionaries here with elders, hombres, hermanos, whatever, but because elder isn't actually a word here (it's actually a name more often than not, so people are confused when they see that everybody's name is Elder) they use it to refer to pretty much any missionary they see, so, people very rarely call us Hermanas in the streets, and I have gotten accustomed to being called elder a lot even though I'm just not even an elder.

That didn't really matter but it was a good title for an email and it was just a tidbit that I realized I hadn't said yet.

So haha yeah, this email has nothing to do with that.

OKAY SO WHAT DID I DO THIS WEEK YOU ASK?

Well, not whole lot, once again, but we worked REALLY HARD and I took my biggest brother's advice to work so hard that I come home exhausted every night and everything has just felt... better. Not that it has felt bad or anything, it's always felt good, but it feels even better when I know that I've put in my whole cien por cien [a hundred percent].

I JUST LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY SO MUCH AND IT'S REALLY QUITE HARD BUT I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I LOVE IT. THE GOSPEL IS TRUE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT AND I WANT TO SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS. I know with ALL MY HEART that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God and I know that God has a plan for us and if we only just trust in Him, we can do anything! I love this gospel SO MUCH and I am infinitely grateful to be here, set apart as a missionary, to teach and help the people of Chile. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

but also I have more things to say ;)

Alright, so, this week I realized something that I really really want to do.

I really... really... REALLY.... LOVE....

LANGUAGES.

And I hadn't even thought until the other day that I get to have the Don de Lenguas [Gift of Tongues] my entire mission and that there are tons of people who learn more than one language on their missions and I WANT TO LEARN ALL THE LANGUAGES NOW. SO MUCH. I WANT IT REALLY BAD. I found some French folletos [literature] in our closet so I've been looking at them every once in a while. I want to talk more formally to Presidente about it during our interviews this cambio [transfer] just because I feel like that is what I need to do. And of course, I'm still learning Spanish, so maybe for later, but we'll see what Pres says.

Speaking of Pres, I've been asked if we ever actually talk to him and stuff so here is the answer! We, as the 'office hermanas' see him probably more than other sectors do, but actually, he and Hermana Videla don't live in our mission so they're not at the office all the time... but we see them at zone conferences and they spoke at our stake conference and... I dunno, one time we went into the office to print out our new ward directory and he helped us do it... and yeah. He and Hermana Videla are really awesome :) Presidente is kind of like a little Lorax man. I love them a lot :)

(To answer a question from my momma) my heart is full, I love Chile and missionary work and my companion and the office elders: all is well, all is well.

But also I'm sick DE NUEVO [AGAIN] so that's not cool. But luckily, we have NINE BILLION ELDERS IN OUR WARD so I asked one for a blessing of health and they were able to give me one right away after church ended. We haven't had to spend any extra time inside :)

except for

when there are games [soccer]

which by the way the last game CHILE BEAT ECUADOR HAHAHAHA TOMA ANDREW TTTOOOOMMMMAAAA

But anyway, when there are games, we have to go in early. Today there's a game as well, so actually, after P-day is over, we'll just go home and do weekly planning and then stay inside doing nothing..

except maybe making brownies.

I make a lot of brownies and we share them with the office elders. The office elders give us eggs, we make brownies, it all works out. As a matter of fact, there's not really anything else that I can make... haha... yeah, well, who NEEDS ANYTHING BUT BROWNIES ANYWAY

THE LONGEST STAIRCASE EVER
When you think you see the top, zoom in and you'll see that it just keeps going

OH I KEEP FORGETTING TO MENTION THAT WE SUBIRED THE CERRO TODAY WHICH IS A SPANGLISH WAY OF SAYING WE HIKED UP THE HILL. We wanted to take a special trail called the 'excursionist trail' but as it turns out

as we found out

the hard way

it doesn't exist

or maybe it does and it literally is just that you make it up and climb the hill in whatever way possible because that would be rather clever

but anyway, so we climbed the hill and it was super cool :)

The clouds are not clouds at all they are SMOG
ALWAYS SMOG

I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BOUGHT A CHILEAN RAIN STICK BECAUSE

BECAUSE

RAIN STICK

CHILE

RRRAAAIIINNN SSSTTTIIICCCKKK

A squad of mutt dogs taking a nap
Chile is pretty well-known for having multitudes of stray dogs running about

Also, as we were going up, we stopped for empanadas, and then this family came to the stand we were at and started talking to each other in Spanglish but they had very distinct accents and SURPRISE they were from Australia??? So we talked with them for a little bit... in English... which always feels really weird. I am forgetting how to sound like a normal person and not a robot that speaks English. It's like... I don't know, speaking English sounds so formal and i just

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING ANYMORE OKAY

But anyway, we talked to them and shared a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and it was really cool! We talked all about how we were missionaries and they were very confused that we worked before to get money to pay to come here and do this. And they were also confused about whether or not we were nuns... and why we weren't wearing white because we... wear white all the time... I guess... but anyway, that was a fun little adventure :P

but anyway, sorry I don't have any fun stories from this week. I think I'm missing something... but maybe not... we just worked really hard this week and it was really great :)

I'm still alive, still happy, STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM ANY OF MY FRIENDS *glares at friends* still answering to Elder, Hermana, and mijita, trying new foods, talking to people, smiling, walking, breathing, being COLD, all that!

Hermana Schomburg buried in blankets and sweatshirts on her bed in their apartment.
She said, "There is a picture of Chandler Sperry in Chile all bundled up and well,
the plugs in our bedroom are not currently working, so we have had to
bundle up a whole lot so yeah."

OH WAIT

this is a cosa

a cosa that has happened

have reached